To Abide By, and Protect My Ninja Way!
by Taijutsukenka
Summary: This will be a Lee centered actiondrama fiction. Lite pairings later, but plenty of adventure to start off. Any constructive critiques are welcomed in Reviews!
1. Daybreak Discovery Revised

Disclaimer: Obviously, this is a work of fan-fiction, as I do not own anything derived from the Naruto world-set.

Early Spring, Konoha Village, Training Field #15, 5:30am

A barely visible silhouette practices a complex pattern of punch-elbow-kick-heel kick strikes, called kata', upon a large wooden dummy, early in the morning.

The figure has apparently performed the pattern so often, so many times before, that they seemingly have no need of the sun to show where the stout wood practice dummy's target arms reach out at random.

Forearms strike past them, as if the dozens of wooden arms were not there. Legs arc between the target limbs, as though completing the wooden dummy's form.

Clenched fists, hardened elbows crash against bark hardened by a hundred years of life as a tree of Konoha, home to some of the largest, strongest trees in the world.

_THUD_------_thok_------_THUD_ ------_thok_------_WHACK_------_thok_------_CRACK_!

After the heel of the figure's foot impacts against the underside of the upper-right arm, the whole stump might be quaking - but we cannot be certain in this early dawn haze. If the rythmic sounds of punch-and-kick, elbow-and-forearm, fist-and-foot were any judge, it _may_ even be shifting up and away from its traditional embankment of hardened soil.

Even though it must, **absolutely**, weigh in at well over two thousand pounds. Surely, that could not be, could it? Obviously, it must be a trick of the feeble predawn light.  
_  
_If the sun **was** up, casting its golden rays clearly, we would see that figure _shifting_ through the pattern of movements. It is as though the figure is not hard at work, performing excruciatingly hard taijutsu kata - even if one ignored the lack of sunlight - but rather dancing with an old partner, going over a old routine step-and-dip, for old time's sake.

Almost anyone else would be home sleeping, if they were one of the hundreds of civilians of Konoha, Village Hidden in the Leaves. Even the majority of the ninja living there would still be asleep, resting soundly before another day's worth of missions.

Not this anyone'.

Instead of slowing, rather than taking a break from the blurred pace of the kata, the lone figure is now flashing through the patterns, even faster now, as if climaxing of a spectacular ballroom performance Now, no longer an old pair of ballroom partners, this scene. Now resembling something else, the figure and practice dummy seem more like an ancient tree weathering the buffets and blows of the first thunderstorm of spring.

_THUD_-_thok_-_THUD_ -_thok_-_WHACK_-_thok_-_CRACK_!

Finally now, the sun is climbing over the horizon. It seems to be looking for the one who is disturbing its golden sleep with the sounds of well-worn bony knuckles against heavy wooden bark. Now that the sun is casting its warm beams of light, it is clear that the great old weathered stump is indeed shuddering and shaking from the blows. We see with some difficulty that the figure is a young man, perhaps in his mid-teens, but tall for his age.

Almost anyone else would be proud to accomplish this much. Being able to move through _that_ kata without flaw, with such speed and strength, without even sight, would be a record achievement for any respectable ninja.

Not _this_ anyone'.

Instead, the figure speeds up _again_, intensifying the assault even further, if it were possible.Now, even with the sun's feeble rays flooding the field, giving us the light we wished earlier, we can barely catch the individual strikes within the kata with our eyes...  
_THUD_thok_THUD_thok_WHACKTHUD_thok_THUD_thok_WHACKthok_THUDthok_WHACK_

Finally, the sun has climbed high enough to allow us to truly see this young man's form, if he was not moving so impossibly swift now. All the spinning, turning form leaves us with, is an impression of ?Green?Gold? Wait, was that a flash of Silver?

**_CCCCCCRRRRRRAAAAAACCCCCCKKKKKK_**!

As if the stump was still alive, a great, agonized _mooaaann _of pain strips loose from its weathered form. The stump's once-invincible hold onto the surrounding grounds sundered, it **_tears free _**of the ground, launching**_ skyward_**. incredible as it may seem.

..._S I L E N C E_...

After the rapid-fire cacophony of the previous sequence of kata, the lack of sound is deafening torture to our ears.

Now, we see something more of this whirlwind warrior of Leaf Village. The young man holds the last pose of the kata:

Left leg angled nearly straight up, foot planted in the air. Both solid as stone. The right arm and leg support the perfectly horizontal body above the ground, with the left side of the body towards the azure sky. Strong as the earth. The left arm folded behind the waist, across the mid-back, hand closed in a fist. Power is hidden there, as if a mountain wrapped by the first rain-laden clouds of spring.

Frozen, we can only view his form from the back-and-side angle.

The only indication that young man had been the merest of shifting shapes a moment ago, is that his bobbed, black hair is still caught in the incredible intensity of the kata.

Shifting up and away from framing the green-and-gold arrayed youth's face, the black hair shows a severe, sharp trim. That form's face, however, is still cradled by the early morning's shadow leading from the arch of his left shoulder. Once that fleet moment is complete, the emerald figure swivels the left leg back to earth, shifting it underneath and behind him, alongside the other leg.

Both arms are now locked full-length against the grassy field, angling the body upright, palms flat against the ground. Meanwhile, the body is now angled upwards in what some might see as a kneeling, resting position. Others might say that he is crouching, tensing for something. His head is bowed, and his black hair throws back ripples of light, even this early in the morning - and yet leaves his features obscured in shadow.

Now we hear a slight whistle of wind, curling it's aimless way across the small field. The stump is now some 30 feet into the air. The kata has completed.

Anyone would be satisfied with the results of the kata - moving a huge stump, just by residual impact alone. It beggars all reason.

Not _this_ anyone'.

The figure's face snaps upwards, locking onto the now-airborne wooden practice stump

The kneeling, evergreen-and-gold figure seems to **_flicker_**, shift, and then _fade_ from view; we hear a slight ?_whirring_?whistling? sound. _That must have been the wind again_, we think, as no one could be fast enough to tear at the winds... Could they?

Looking to the stump, now at the apex of a mathematically-perfect curve, again a **_flicker_** reveals the figure fading into view. We hear that slightest of ?_whistling_?whirring? sounds again. The figure appears just underneath the stump. The figure floats there, as if he was the shadow of a leaf, tossed by the first winds of spring.

Taut hands grip the massive weight of wood, fingertips crushing into the hard bark. He ignores the roughness of the bark, as his lower arms, even his hands, are tightly bandaged against  
such treatment.

Fierce determination frames what little of his face we can see, as the bulk of the practice stump blocks our view. We catch a glimpse of a heavy, furrowed brow. The very picture of determination.

With a shrug of shoulder, the figure begins.

Turning---------------------------------------------------------------------------Spinning---------------------------------------------------------------------------**_Faster_**!

**FASTER**, now blurring beyond hope of any amount of the sun's illumination identifying this whirlwind warrior's full features. The giant green-and-brown corkscrew is now sighing, _keening_, **drilling** its way to the field once again.

Surely, surely a few minutes has gone by since we came upon the field.

**_CCCRRRAAAASHHHBBBOOOOMMMM!_**

The earth itself _winces,_ and trys to pull away, as the spinning pair hits. It is as though a meteor has been cast down from the very throne of heaven. Ruined clods of earth and grass flee away from the site of impact coming to rest dozens of feet away. Dirt, debris, and clouds of dust obscure sight for a time, then clear away quickly - with the help of a stiff morning breeze.

The unwieldy stump is now again imbedded in the field. Now, however, it is a good two feet shorter than before; the impact has actually forced the stump deeper into the field than the tree the stump had once been had ever ventured with its roots.

But, where is the green-and-gold clad form that had followed it up into the firmament? The figure did not smash into the earth alongside the stump, after all. Nor is it still arcing through the air.

After anxious moments of searching for the figure... Over there!

The figure drops without sound onto a clear patch of field that hasn't been disturbedby the incredible corkscrew impact of the stump's replanting'. The figure straightens from his crouch, and looks over his right shoulder at his handiwork.

Dozens of brilliant emerald leaves circle slowly about the young man's frame, as if in congratulations and homage. They fall, arranging around his feet, but seem eager to follow him into the sky once more.

Contented, the young man turns, and steps over to the nearby tree line. Reaching for the towel and water bottle that were nesting alongside the duffle bag, the figure dries himself off briefly, leaving the towel wrapped his neck, with the ends falling down his front.

Then, he steadily drains the bottle. Not in the hurried fashion of the exhausted, and not in the relaxed manner of the relaxed, but in the way a clinician might deliberately measure out a powerful restorative. After quenching his need for water, he takes in a great, de-ee-ep breath.

He then lets that breath out s-l-o-w-l-y, with purpose, and lets go of the the rest of the tension from the kata just performed. He absently drops the water bottle into the duffle bag's open grasp.

Finished, he turns towards the singular trail leading back to Konoha proper. He slips a foot underneath the duffel bag, then snaps that foot upwards, as part of his certain stride forward. The duffel bag fairly leaps into the air a good foot above his head before pausing. Then, the bag falls evenly across his right shoulder as the young man steps onto the trail.

Only now does the sun's beams play fully across the whirlwind warrior's face well enough be recognized, as he paces down the trail, smiling with accomplishment.

**This, then, is Rock Lee!**

Early Spring, Konoha Village, Training Field #15, 5:32am

quoted words character's speech. Place, Time locations/scene breaks.

BR  
Revised Version Author's Notes:

Whoops! Was attempting to revise the first chapter (without posting a second), and accidentally deleted the whole thing, along with my first 3 reviews! D'oh! Anyway, this revision was due to the helpful commentary by Xoni Newcomer & MommyRogers - I reduced the sound effect repetition, to reduce the eyes glazing effect... hope this fits better, along with the full paragraph style. Lemme know if this chapter still needs tweaking. As for Magus Black - yup, I read the manga very closely - Ch. 265 may well prove interesting for Team Gai... but I think that the anime may actually open up Lee a little - look at the episodes 98-100! A great little scene with Sakura, recognition by Iruka, and even a detailed explanation why Gai & Lee use the My Rules thing... but do keep reading and reviewing!

Original Version Author's Notes:  
Well, this is my first attempt at fan-fiction; please forgive any blatant errors in FFnet etiquette in terms of how this is presented. While I may not have much experience in writing fics before, I've been paying attention to some of the more serious writers that have been displaying their artistic talents here. I am hoping to some of the better styles of writing I've been seeing here, and blend it with my own views and focus.

Also, in my non-writing life, one of my hobbies is paper-and-dice role-playing games; here's hoping that some 15+ years in telling stories' around a table of friends translates into good practice as a action writer, ne?

Folks, as you may have guessed from my pen-name', my favorite character from is Rock Lee. I make no apologies for this! In almost any anime/manga one cares to name, all of the good guys/girls' are oft so handsome/pretty as to be almost... dare I say fantastic. Before the first flame-volleys are warmed up, I DO NOT mean this in a bad or negative fashion.

Rock Lee, for all of his other good points', is not just average' looking in comparison to his fellow ninja heroes and heroines. He is rather plain' or even ugly' - particularly due to his unusual eyes. The fact that Kishimoto-sama drew his character in just such an uncool' fashion, but made him out to be such an incredible character... it makes me wonder what Hollywood may be doing things wrong these days.

Rock Lee proves that you don't have to be an on the 1-10 scale to be a worthy, interesting anime character.

Note also, almost the entire upper' class of important characters are, in effect, super-humans' by their use of chakra manipulation to give themselves an edge. Whether it's Naruto's bound demon, Neji's Gentle Fist' manner of attacking the chakra circulatory system, or Sasuke's nearly one-of-a kind Sharingan, many of the characters have rather unusual abilities, even in comparison to the rather fantastic' world that they find themselves in.

Rock Lee, on the other hand, has one other defining trait that _most_ phrase as an disability to manipulate chakra at all. This rates him even more interesting in my book than most of the other characters, as he effectively has to fight his battles without the benefits of 2/3rds of all ninja techniques. Talk about a handicap! And yet, he is almost able to keep up with **_GAARA_**, fer crying out loud!

This is why I enjoy the character so much - even with handicaps that should, by all rights, be crippling for a ninja,  
he carries on, stunning his fellow ninja with what (to them) a mundane', normal' person could be capable of! To put it in American Comicdom terms, Rock Lee is Naruto World's (NW's) Batman from the Justice League of DC comics. Don't laugh! No, he doesn't have a cool tool-belt, he doesn't have unlimited funds to wage his battles with. Heck, at times, it seems that Rock Lee is more like from the Batman series of comics, since he models himself upon Maito Gai so much. But I digress.

However, both Batman and Rock Lee are in comparison to their companions. Batman has _none_ of the super-powers, alien heritage, technology from the 51st century that almost all other JLAers have going for them. Rock Lee has none of the bound demons, bloodline limits' (which sound like mutant superpowers in DC terms...), or most of the chakra manipulating techniques of his fellow ninja. Batman's abilities stem from years of **_hard_** **_work_** , mastering himself in ways most could not fathom. Sound familiar?

These are just some the reasons why I think Lee deserves more serious treatment, instead of being mere comedy-relief'.

I personally think that Rock Lee CAN manipulate chakra, but not outside of his body - he can't project' chakra in any way. Think back to Neji's abilities: he releases' chakra' in various forms to inflict damage, and to protect himself. As for Naruto, he epitomizes chakra-release - thousands of clones at a moment's notice, right? Well, assuming that the peoples' of NW are normal' otherwise, that they normally don't have superhuman physical ability, how does one explain Rock Lee's abnormal strength and speed? Yes, he trains all the time with massive leg weights - but how in the world does one even begin to move with those things, if not with some control over internal manipulation of chakra?

Oddly enough, Naruto himself helps prove this - one sees Naruto perform fantastic feats of physical prowess, _while channeling Kyuubi's chakra_. Finally, Rock Lee can not only open the Eight Celestial Gates, but he can go clear up to the Fifth Gate... something that cannot be gained by hard work alone, as according to the Technique Specialist Kakashi (during the Rock Lee-Gaara fight in 48-50). This implies to me that Rock Lee's disability is really something else... and this will come into play in this story.

About this story: I find that while there is A LOT of romance writing on this venue, in a suprising amount of variety', there does not seem to be much it the way of action-focused series/stories. At least, not many that couldn't be considered Romance-Action' genre, mostly the former, rather than the latter What I'm going to attempt in this story, is something more in the field, if I may be so bold. NOTE: I really enjoy the quality romantic stories I've seen exemplified here - particularly when focussing on my more favored characters. I'm NOT slamming' romance in favor of action; I merely feel that there should be more action' series, as that is what Naruto was founded upon.

This story is an attempt to fill in that genre-gap - a side-story' to the current arc - the time jump in the manga has occurred, and Rock Lee is now 16. The current arc has happened already - this way I can include any cool Lee stuff that Kishimoto shows us. Heh-Heh. This will also allow for more complicated story developments later on.

Now, I do plan on some guest appearances' by other Naruto World (NW) characters. However, I plan on this story being more Lee-centric; he will be the story's focal-point and protagonist. As for overall feel, while I will play on Lee's hot-bloodedness' (for good and bad), I'm not going to play him for sheer comedy only, but rather as someone who simply allows himself to experience his feelings, without the restraint created by worrying about what others may think.

I also plan on showcasing Rock Lee's Taijutsu skill - he's rated as #3 in Konoha, just below **Sandaime** (#1), and **Maito** **Gai** (#2) -- _that is how skilled he is!_ Please correct if wrong, but he seems to be in the same Letter-class' in Taijutsu as many **_jounin _**like Asuma -- who is no slouch in the Taijutsu arts! Even though Rock Lee is merely a **_genin_** (according to snippets of the data books/.cards I've seen), he is rated in the same class as Asuma and other jounin.

Now, the data books I've seen rate him as he was during the first arc' - pretimejump - so just think about adding **_2 and a half years_** of Rock Lee - intense training. Shudder. Be Afraid. BE VERY AFRAID! ;) Technically, Rock Lee gained almost all of his Taijutsu Specialist skill in about that length of time - during his last year of the Academy, and his first year with Gai-sensei. Do the math. That is why Lee will be even more capable in in story, and not just in , but in other skills as well (heh-heh).

As for pairings', I will not be focusing on that, at least during the first few chapters; many others have performed so well in this area, I feel that I would only screw it up, if I would try more than light touches. I do, on the other hand, firmly stand in the camp(s) - I don't feel any negativity about Yaoi or Yuri (particularly well-written stories with such elements), but as the base material implies that camp (or, at least one-sided Lee-Saku), I'm going with Lee-Saku if I do venture in that direction!

Finally, I welcome heartily any who want to point out glaring inconsistencies with the NW core world, my grammar, or how my story-posting formats. As stated, this is my first attempt, so any help would be most appreciated.

(If anyone wants to know, I'm using Appleworks 6 for the initial write up, and then uploading in HTML as saved by Appleworks 6)

And, as many others ask, please review! At this point, I'm looking for more hrm, this would work better if... type of comments, as I've got a good feel for how the actual story is going to go.

(or, at least I THINK I do... :)


	2. Downtown Danger

Disclaimer: Obviously, this is a work of fan-fiction, as I do not own anything derived from the Naruto world-set.

Early Spring, Konaha Village, near Main Gate, 6am

Still carrying his duffel bag on his right shoulder, towel wrapped around his neck, Rock Lee stands just inside the South Gate Entrance. He has just finished his pre-breakfast warm-up.

He looks up and over his left shoulder at Main Gate, watching the sun's rays finally catch up to him again as he rests for a moment. He admires the splendor of a new day arriving. _How can people sleep in so late? They do not know what sights they are missing when they trade in a few more hours' rest _ he thinks to himself. Shaking his head in wry disbelief, the young man turns and heads down the thoroughfare, towards the entertainment district.

_It is like I am the only one here, that I have the world to myself _, thinking back upon many other early mornings.

We see that his observation is just about right - there are few people up at this time. Oh, sure, there are a few ANBU flitting about from roof to roof on various duties, and there are those ninja who had drawn guard duty at Main Gate's sentry posts that Rock Lee just strode past on his way to breakfast. But overall, there are few and far between that are awake and active now (or those that are, know how to conceal themselves from casual view).

_I have always liked how Konoha feels this early..._

Rock Lee enjoys a casual walk over to the district, taking in the scenery as he goes. No one is 120 Modern and Rocking' all the time, even the genius of hard work... Sometimes it is nice just to BE, rather than DO.

He had heard about a new restaurant that had opened there, catering to the early-morning crowd. He thought to give it a go.

Early Spring, Konoha Village, Entertainment District, Restaurant Kyoko's', 6:15am

Hurry with those tablecloths, Souji! and Hana, what are you doing with that silverware? They need to be wrapped in those napkins, then tied with those ribbons we picked up from that merchant out of Wave Country can be heard clearly as we decend upon the aformentioned restaurant.

Inside the breakfast cafe Kyoko's' we see that the namesake proprietor and her three floor assistants are hurrying to prepare for another day's business, which starts in just another quarter hour! It looks as if the restaurant's crew is still working out the most effacious means of preparing for the day.

Yes ma'am! rings out from the two crewmembers as they doubled their pace; they acted as if they had had previous examples why it was in there best interest to double-time it if she called them by name.

Kyoko herself seems a tall, athletic, angular woman with chinese features from Earth Country. She has the typical dusky skin, but her hair is an unsual raven-dark blue. We can tell that it would reach her knees, if it was not up in a chinese bun with a pair of enormous, bejeweled stickpins holding it together. Although beautiful, her too-sharp eyes reduce the overalll impression of her athletic build might otherwise have, not to mention being dressed in a fanciful, bright yellow dress featuring royal blue highlights. The employiees she had brought from Stone Country said the too-bright yellow and the too-dark blue made the dress an eyesore. However, she would have been able to pull the look off' if if wasn't for those too-sharp eyes. Instead, she looks a touch like a predatory bird that had gotten dipped in two different buckets of paint. Oh, well.

Ma'am, the morning hot buns are just finishing! voices from the direction of the kitchen. Good, now see if you can get a head start on the house specialty's ingredients... We've been getting a lot of orders for those Kyoko sends over her shoulder to the only Konoha native working in Kyoko's' -- Akamichi Hatsuyo. The Akamichi familiy not only produce prodigious eaters, but skilled cooks as well.

Maybe things will work out after all...

6:30 am

Kyoko's P.O.V.---  
DING-GLE! the door bell declares as the doorway admits the first of the early bird crowd.

Welcome to Kyoko's... Kyoko announces towards the door, before turning to what will hopefuily be the first customer of the day.

_Usually, it is just usually some fanatic jogger needing to use the   
_  
She dries off her hands on the apron tied at her waist, puts a warm smile on her face, and turns toward the front of the cafe to heartily welcome the first customer.

...The first breakfast cafe in Konoha--AAHH?-- and promptly trades all of her carefully-practiced composure for shock at the sight of her first customer'. _My word!_ she thinks to herself, _those_ _are the fuzziest _things _I have seen not properly attached to a _**bear**_! _And then _OOHH-dear, he's staring at me oddly... I hope I haven't angered him! He's looks like one of Konoha's Ninja -- I would not want to drawn one of _their_ ire this soon -!_   
_  
---Rock Lee's P.O.V.---  
_Rock Lee strides cheerfully down the main walkway, looking for the sign of the restaurant Choji mentioned the last time he'd seen him at _that_ one barbecue place. _Gai-sensei says I'm a genius of hard work, but _Choj_ is a genius of finding good food.._ He half-grins in appreciation of the memory. _Who knew that little, out-of-the way place had the _BEST_ BBQ steak sauce in Fire Country?_

He stops, then turns to the dooway belonging to Kyoko's'. He finally lets the duffle bag slide off his right shoulder. Just before it hits the ground, he catches the strap in his hand absently, saving the pavement from the equipment stored within. He had long ago learned if the special gear he used in training was to be dropped together, all in one place, it _could_ crack concrete. And shortly after that discovery, he found out something else. While he never minded hard work, he discovered that really did not care for reconstructing publc walkways -- so he always made sure that he took the utmost care with his training duffle bag.

_Well, this looks like a neat little place..._ He sees that the windows' are actually stacks upon stacks of small blocks (each one a single hue of the rainbow) of some kind of glass he hasn't seen before, and each block not much bigger than the palm of his hand.

Looking at the artistry of the window of Kyoko's', he notices a small posterboard with the house special pictured. _I wonder what the house specalty is? With that caramel-looking heavy glazing dripping down the sides, it looks somewhat like a really big version of those sweetcakes TenTen enjoys after a particularly hard solo mission - but why would there be sliced ham as a side dish to a dessert? Whenever I have had ham, it was part of the evening meal._ His right eyebrow rising in question, he ponders further, with left hand on chin. _And I _know_ one is not supposed to put **butter**_ _on a dessert item..._ Finally, he shrugs away his questions. _Oh well, that's why I wanted to try this place out -- to experience something new._

With resolve settling his features, he reaches for the doorhandle, recalling the conversation with Choji. _Choji had said that it had some new foods from foreign lands, and said that the menu was too good to pass on. He'd heard from a cousin of his that took up a cook's position here during the first week after trrying some of the menu; I guess that his cousin was so impressed with the owner's techniques, she'd decided to try her hand at them._

In Rock Lee's book, any restaurant that could impress a member of one of the _Akamichi_ clan's own family members (who also happened to be rather impressive in her cooking skills), was worth taking a look at! And so, Rock Lee enters the new establishment, with avid anticipation (and if there was a little trepidation as well, no one else was the wiser). __

DING-GLE! the doorbell brightly claims, as Rock Lee draws himself inside.

He sees a moderate amount of booths lining the walls, with a smaller number of tables arrayed throughout the center of cafe. The restaurant's cashier was near the back, sitting on top of a display case of small treats that were waiting to go home with customers that had more money than room, after having had some of the regular menu's selections.

He finds one employee (a tall but thin man in his early twenties, with dark brown hair) already manning said cashier and display case. Behind the cashier-and-case, there was a door (presumably leading to the kitchen), still slowly swinging from the passing of one of the other employees.__

Welcome to Kyoko's... catches his attention, drawing his view towards the strong, but friendly, female voice. _Ah, that must be the manager of the establishment_ he realizes. _I wonder what new things she has learned from living here in Konoha... _ Then, as Kyoko continues to turn, and lays eyes on Rock Lee for the first time: _Wow, she's not only pretty, but she has great taste in colors! She looks just like the morning dawn oustide._

And, as Kyoko finishes her standard early morning welcome - ...The first breakfast cafe in Konoha--AAHH? - Rock Lee's face freezes. _Well, I guiess I should have expected that..._

All through his life, as Rock Lee graduated from the Academy, performed first-year missions, took on Gaara in his first Chuunin Trial (and nearly died because of it), survived an incredible surgery performed by the current Hokage during the first months of her rule, only to fight Kimimaro while just barely recovered from aforementioned surgery, and triumphed over many other trials throughout his young life, he never found anyone who wasn't shocked, suprised, or stunned by his features - or if not, found them so incredibly comical as to break down laughing... Well, neither Gaara, nor Kimimaro had laughed at him, but Gaara and Kimimaro did not _really_ count in as being normally in either aforementioned shocked' or shocked silly' categories, as they had... _issues..._ already.

As his own parents' were killed during the Kyuubi's rampage, combined with the fact that neither Rock Lee's parents had been ninja, what little records had been in Konoha about Rock Lee's heritage had been destroyed along with the entire section of Konoha that they'd lived in. According to what little detail _had_ survived, it seems that Rock Lee's parent's had been mere farmers that had moved to the big city' to find work during the last Great Ninja War. They had arrived in Konoha with their toddler of a son just weeks before Konoha's assault by the Kyuubi, but that was all that had surivived - no one new how they had arrived, nor what land or lands they had hailed from.

He had heard some tell of Earth Countries' own northern families that sported strong eyebrows, but he had never seen anyone from that land that had quite the same features as his own. They might indeed have pronounced eyebrows (though not as much as his were), but they did not have the unusually rounded eyes that known for He had always hoped that someone might recoginze something of his seeming, and ask if he were related to someone else, or if he was from a certain country, so that he would have had some idea where to be looking; so far, no luck. It was something he had become a ninja for in the first place (as ninja travel great distances to get certain jobs done), but during his tribulations just in becoming a ninja, somehow, his original reason had become something that he almost forget about, until the next time he suprised someone that was not already familiar with him.

Merged P.O.V.---  
------------------------------  
Trying to throw away her earlier social slip, Kyoko qiuckly says Come IN, Come IN! Right this way! Would you have a preference of a table or booth today? while whipping out a small notebook for taking orders, and trying to hold in her shock in recognizing... _no, it really could not be, as he was lost over 25 years ago _ she thinks. At this, however, Rock Lee finally thaws, and gratefully indicates that a table would be fine.

Sitting himself at the table, and remembering to place the duffle bag carefully on the floor (scooting it out the way with his foot, so as to not obstruct the employees), Rock Lee decides on his order: I'll take the House Special, along with a carafe of Orange Juice, please, ma'am, thank you! Kyoko pins her eyes on her handwriting, carefully making sure _not_ to keep staring at the young man's features... Yes, right away! practically spinning on her heel, Kyoko makes straight for the kitichen, ostensibly to place the order.

* * *

Konoha Hosptial, Chakra Damage Wing, Critical Care Ward, 6:30am_  
_  
Dammit, Saito, stay with me! Don't you dare give up _now _! Shouts Tsunade at the top of her prodigious lungs. She has both hands upon the rookie Jounin's chest, as if performing CPR, if if was not for the green chakra positively _flaring_ up and away from the point of contact. After just a few more moments, the young Jounin's eyes glaze over, and his head lolls to the side. He passes away without even being able to give his last thoughts. Shizune is also there, holding TonTon in her arms, a concerned look on her face... for both the now-departed ninja, as well as Tsunade herself.

Tsunade exclaims, realizing that Saito has passed beyond even her abilities to heal. Her head drops down, letting her pale blond hair to obscure her face, and the tears that were already starting to flow.

Umm, Tsunade-sama... There are the others that need your help, particularly his old teamates... Shizune weakly states after a few moments more pass. I _know_, I _know_; just give me a moment Tsunande shakily demands. She raises from her hunched over position slightly, and scrubs her right palm into her eyes, trying to press the tears away.

After a second longer, Tsunade draws herself to her full height, and, after drawing Saito's head back into a more restful position - along with closing his eyes for the last time - she stalks out of the room.

Tsunade immediately turns to the left, and improves her speed further. Shizune, along with TonTon, try to keep up. After a few steps, it becomes clear to Shizune that Tsunade intends to head for the stairwell leading to the main floor... she stutters, wait, what about the rest of the Hunter-Nin team? You need to go back and treat them, right? Raising her right hand in acknowedgement, the Sannin-turned-Hokage states yes, YES, Shizune, I got it. But I need to see to something for a minute as the Hokage, not as a healer. Saito was the worst by far of the three - the others will survive the few minutes I need. And with that, she straight-arms the stairwell door open, and practically runs down the several flights of stairs. Poor Shizune stops in the doorway, still holding TonTon in the crook of her right arm. She bows her head, sighing in disapointment? Or is it in regret? And then turns around, heading back to the remaining members of Hunter Team 5, to see what she might be able to do.

Outside, on the main pavillion of the Konoha Hospital, the two main doors practically leap open with the force of Tsunande's charge through them. Any harder, and she would have plain crashed throught the two great glass doors. She stands in the early dawn, and takes a deep breath... and lets it go. Even the average eye, unfamiliar with her rough manners, could tell that this apparently young woman was a bit more than shaken right now... and perhaps not all due to the passing of one of the ninja under her command.

Hearing something to her right, in the directlion of the Main Gate, she looks over to see what it could be. She barely makes out a tall figure. It seems that the figure is... jogging? _Why would anyone be jogging this early, and why on he Main Gate Avenue? Wait, they are getting closer.._ Tsunade squnts at the rapidly approaching form. _OH. NO.. Its _Maito Gai_. I should have known that he would be up already. I'd better head back to the office and send for all the Jounin -- before I get another earful of the benefits of youthful power'... _Tsunande grimaces at the thought... and then suprisingly, she brightens considerably. Instead of escaping to her office, she stays put, readying herself for the arrival of the self-proclaimed Beautiful Beast' of Konoha.

Not all that long after this odd change of intent, the eccentric Jounin pulls up next to the hospital (Gai is a _brisk_ jogger, after all). Seeing the Hokage, he pauses his foward movement, while still running in place. Oh! Hokage-sama! A GLORIOUS morning Konoha is having, isn't it? And the Hokage Momument is ESPECIALLY inspiring! It fills my heart with the BURNIN- is all Maito Gai can get out, before being interrupted by Tsunade _GAI!_ I have a important task for you! Gai immediately stops his speech-making, and even stops running in place, to stand at the strictest attention of his Hokage. YES! What is this important task? Is there a clan of Bandits that needs clearing out from the trade routes? Perhaps a merchant needs an escort, to protect his person from dastardly assasination attempts from jealous rivals? Or, instead, is it - _GAI!_ Tsundade interjects again, before being allowed to get tot he point. Affer getting Gai's _quiet_ attention, Tsunade continues: I'm having an emergency meeting for **all** Jounin, regardless of speciality or circumstances. All Jounin are to meet in my offices at 7am SHARP! Your important mission is to get gather up Kakashi and get him there, presentable _and on time_ (at this, even Gai blanches slightly) as this is too important to have to put up with his typical childish tardiness, and you are the best suited. Use force if you have to, just get him there. Now **_GO_**! With that command, Maito Gai, the Beautiful Beast' of Konoha, disappears in a blast of green and gold wind. _Sorry to the _both_ of you, Kakashi and Gai, but this is something tthat we cannot put off, and we need to explain in secret as quickly as possible -- this could change the world of the ninja as we now understand it.__  
_  
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Author's Notes:

Heya all! here's the next chapter, the one that actually gets the story moving along. I know - not much _seemed_ to happen here, but I've set the stage' so to speak. Next chapter, we'll see just what Kyoko's House Special is, and hear from the Hokage herself just what was so devastating about the death of Jounin Saito - beyond the fact that a Hunter-nin Jounin was, in fact, killed. Muh-hu-hahah:) And also, if anyone has even small suggestions on formatting or such, leave a note in Reviews! Thanks!


	3. Big Breakfast, Black Room

Disclaimer: Obviously, this is a work of fan-fiction, as I do not own anything derived from the Naruto world-set.

Early Spring, Konoha Village, Entertainment District, Restaurant Kyoko's', 7:00am

Rock Lee is waiting for his Kyoko's House Special' order, enjoying a good ice water meanwhile. _Gai-sensei says that I should not be eating these kinds of foods, as they would be detrimental to my physical development. But just having a _little_ bit once in a while should be ok, right? _ he thinks. _And besides, it is not as if I am going through a case of those sugary sodas Naruto likes so much..._ Frowning a bit now, he recalls the last time he and Konoha's #1 most suprising ninja' trained together. _How could he go through that six-pack of 2 liters of soda, I will never understand. Give me good, old, ice water anytime... and it won't hurt my gleaming smile like that horrible lime-lemon stuff Naruto swears by would._

Hearing the kitchen door open with a squeak, Rock Lee brightens. _Oh, here comes my order. Speaking of teeth, I''ll have to remember to pick up some toothpaste before I go back to my apartment..._

Hana wheels out of the kitchen, holding a gigantic serving platter with both hands. Her curly chestnut hair bouncing as she pushes the door open with her back, she takes a moment to stabilize herself. Then, sighting Rock Lee with her own dark eyes, she starts over in her direction, if a bit uncertain in her steps... It looks as if that Hana is a rather _small_ young woman from Earth Country, and Rock Lee's order of the Kyoko's House Special' (plus the carafe of Orange Juice) is almost too big for her little frame.

All Rock Lee can see, however, is that the Kyoko's House Special' is a lot bigger than he thought! It seems he had been under the impression that the poster board picture hanging outside _was close to actual size!_ Poor Rock Lee's face takes on that same stunned look back from when Sakura first turned him down, dismayed by the size of the order: five enormous, fluffy platters of pastries stacked up 4 inches high off the platter (a platter about the same size as the one he and Choji had shared their barbecue order on), butter streaming down the sides in rivulets, pooling on top of the already soaking-in dark liquid surrounding the pastries! Not to mention the two cuts of ham looked like the they might be better off in a set of sandwiches for _four_... for a afternoon picnic!

_Oh, dear_ he thinks, _I hope I can get a good deal on that toothpaste Gai-sensei uses.._.

Early Spring, Konoha Village, Hokage's Offices, Black Room, 7:00am

All of Konoha's Jounin stand about the smallish room, nervously waiting for the Hokage to arrive. The room that they are waiting in sports only a small, decrepit desk. No chairs, and only the one lamp bulb hanging from the ceiling light the cramped space. The jounin, the best of their breed, are unsettled because of that very fact that they are the most top-ranked in Konoha; if _all_ jounin are needed for some mission or announcement, it must be a terrible thing indeed. Additionally, using the Black Room, so nicknamed due to the incredible number of seals placed over every section of wall, ceiling, and floor is even more disturbing. The seals prevent the use of jutsu and magical items designed for farseeing and clairvoyance - like the Hokage's Viewing Sphere (A/N: the crystal ball' Sandaime Saratobi uses to watch Naruto in the first story arc). Even the much-touted Byakugan' Dojutsu (Eye Technique) is said to be blocked by the dozen-layer thick seals in this one room... If the Hyuuga are to be believed. This usually means that whatever is to be said or requested here will never be allowed to be discussed in public, _ever_, for any reason.

Well, _almost all_ jounin have arrived. Kakashi and Gai have not arrived yet... And when we quickly peek outside into the hall, Hokage-sama is advancing carefully down the hallway, dreading the upcoming declarations, not twenty feet from the Black Room's door.

_----PATTApattaPATTApattaPATTApattaPATTApattaPATTApattaPATTApattaPATTApattaPATTApattaPATTAPATTApattaPATTApattaPATTA----_

_FWOOooosh_ ! A green-and-black blur appears, tearing down the opposite way of the hall from whence the Hokage was slowly marching from. **KBANG!** the Black Room's door is opened-and-shut so quickly as the indistinct shape passes into the Black Room, we almost would say it did not happen at all, if not for the noise of the door smashing back into place.

The Hokage stops. Her face (once bearing a downcast expression, dark golden eyes fallen to the floor), clears in sudden disbelief and shock. _What was tha--_ She thinks, startled by the noise and force of the violent passing. Then, her blank expression lightens, a wry smile takes place of the dropped jaw, and her dark eyes lighten in recognition. _Ah-HA! It looks like the Beautiflul Beast' has once again triumphed over his Modern and Hip' eternal rival. Those two have always been good for lightening my mood in the past. _ She continues on, with maybe a bit of a lighter step to her tread.

Once arrived at the doorway to the infamous Black Room', she bows her head, clipboard full of medical notes tucked under the heavy lefthand sleeve. She intakes a great breath, and lets it go just as deliberately, then pushes her way into the Black Room.

Early Spring, Konoha Village, Entertainment District, Restaurant Kyoko's', 7:45am

Passing back to Rock Lee, we find now that Kyoko's House Special', or The World's Biggest Western Breakfast' is just now being finished up by the lone customer. Consisting of 5 buttermilk pancakes nearly half a foot across, two hunks of cut ham, lightly seasoned, as well as amounts of butter and maple syrup enough to supply a small ninja clan specializing in pastry-jutsu for a week (or so appeared to the stunned Rock Lee). Not to mentioned he had ordered the equivalent of a litre of fresh Orange Juice.

!bbuurr-UURRPP!

Heavy eyebrows scrunching in embarassment, the irises of his eyes shrink to mere points, and his wrapped hand hides the lower portion of his features hurriedly. The genius of hard work looks back and forth, looking a bit discomfited over his sudden lack of manners. Excuse, please! he calls quietly... _Whew, no one was out front; I hope Choji's cousin did not hear that clear in the kitchen! _

Now recovered, Rock Lee carefully places all of the strange utensils that came along with the feast on the wide plate, making sure to place his glass lengthwise across the now-cleared plate. After scooting out of the table's seat, he makes a point of using a spare napkin to clear any remaining bits of mess left over from his morning repast from the table, in unthinking consideration of the employees working. And then, he stuffs the damp napkin into the glass part way, to show he is definitely complete with this... meal, if you can call it that.

Before turning towards the door, he leaves enough coin to cover the bill left with the order, along with a good 25 tip for good service. Recalling the near-disaster when Hana tripped over a seam in the carpet right next to the table, he realizes _That was the most unlikely use of the Fist-Without-Shadow __ I have ever _heard_ of, much less performed _. Rolling his round eyes with a touch of regret, he considers further that _I managed to catch that plate of pancakes' handily enough -- any ninja could have done that -- but to also prevent the orange juice from spilling, not to mention grabbing that side dish of ham before it smashed to the floor... I really have thank Gai-sensei s training for that technique. _

uRRp

_Maybe I should have let that ham hit the floor, after all, instead of trying to impress that waitress _ Rock Lee reconsiders.

With the bill taken care of , Rock Lee picks up his duffle bag, twisting his left hand around and around to gather the loose straps into a secure grip. He turns to the direction of the door, and heads back outside. After stopping to check the skyline for the time (as he has always been a good judge of time - even Neji has stated as much), he resumes his path back to his apartment. _Well, Choji's cousin was right, that was quite a meal, but I will have to get an few extra hours of **heavy** exercise in tonight, to burn off some of those heavy calories_ he realizes. I_ will definitely recommend that menu order to Choji though - all that heavy calories would be perfectly suited for the Akimichi Family Taijutsu ._

And with that, he continues his way home.

Early Spring, Konoha Village, Hokage's Offices, Black Room, 7:45am

...And that is how it is; evidence points to deliberate action by someone, _not_ an accidental, one of a kind occurrence. The Hokage states firmly. Akimichi Saito was just promoted to Jounin status with the Hunter-Nin branches; even so, note that even his stout physique is estimated to have contracted this... condition only two months ago. Questions will now be fielded. At that, gloved hands shoot up, showing just how concerned this gathering was. Yes, Kurofuji Toju? the Hokage confirms. states the heavily-built male jounin. So, this means that this... condition destabilizes a ninja's Chakra Control, eventually causing even the bodies' ability to properly handle the normal flow of Chakra to the vital organs to come completely undone? And, there does not seem to be an immediate cure? Hokage-sama, is there any indication how this was contracted' by Saito-kun?

At this question, the Hokage's head dips towards her folded hands. She sits at the small, rickety desk, resting her forearms upon it for support. She knew Kurofuji would be one of the first to ask that question. His Kurofuji clan, distantly related to Akimichi clan, often had close bonds of friendship with the size-changing ninja.

And Toju had been best friends with Saito since both of their Chuunin days...

From what I saw, the symptoms are similar to a rare drug known to disrupt Chakra Control... but they seem to _worsen_ with time, unlike the drug so it must be a radical improvement, or something completely new. It could be breathed in, but it's more likely ingested somehow. It's also theorized that the effect hastens the more a ninja uses most juts. Basically, the disruptive effect increases with the molding of Chakra. Lifting her face to meet the field of faces arrayed, she pauses a moment before continuing: This means that whatever this toxin is, it was **_designed_** to work against a ninja's specific advantages over mere bandits and everyday soldiers.

(A/N: she's speaking of the same drug she used to poison Jiraya, during her introduction to the series)

If the room was not already dismayed at the bad tidings so far, a couple of jounin's eyes flared in... fear?

Even the normally-lazy single eye of the Technique Specialist Kakashi was wide awake, now, and as focused on the proceedings as a arrow upon the bow. He had not even resorted to his Icha Icha Paradise' throughout this whole meeting, if that be any judge of his concentration.

_This could this be an attack not just on Konoha, but upon the entire Ninja Way..._ the gray-haired Copy-Ninja thinks.

Be **extremely** careful of any supplies you must acquire in the field - from this point on, all food and water supplies in Konoha, as well as any foodstuffs we import, will be examined by Medic-Nin Squads three times a week. the Hokage commands. At this ruling, some of the attendant Medic-Nin stifle sharp intake of breath -- the procedure mentioned was only to be used if Konoha was not only already under full wartime conditions, but under _siege_, something that, technically, has never strictly occurred before in the history of Konoha. Venturing a unsteady smile, she adds Actually, it might be best if all ninja on missions outside of the Village be messaged this information as soon as possible, and supplied with food and water from our emergency stores - we can prove that no one has tampered with those supplies, and it may prevent our traveling members and teams from suffering Akimichi Saito-san's fate.

Standing wearily, a hint of the hours she has already put in attempting to save the newest jounin of the Akimichi clan passes over her. This is what we are going to say to the remainder of Konoha's ninja -- that we will be practicing our siege-warfare procedures, and implementing full wartime punishments for breaking those rules. That way, we won't have a panic, but will still have control.

In closing, she also adds Finally, and I want to point out that I _may likely_ be wrong on this, this Chakra Corruption' may not have any effect on non-ninja whatsoever. This is why, for now, we are not going to mention this to any civilian of any security clearance. At this, some of the more concerned of the gathered jounin relaxed somewhat, their worries for their non-ninja family members' fates somewhat relieved... But, obviously, this conversation **_has_** **_not_** **_occurred_** ! If any present fail in this, they will be stripped of rank and immediately imprisoned - along with those that were informed. While the imprisonment will be only for the duration of this crisis, the removal of rank and all privileges will be final. DISMISSED. Those that had just relaxed, if fractionally, tensed up again - and so did everyone else... Getting oneself imprisoned was one thing - but to guarantee that whoever you leaked' to a berth in the secret prisons of Konoha, regardless of who they were... the mind shudders.

All the present jounin nod their acknowledgment of the new procedures put in place, some sharing weighty looks as they file out of Black Room, and back to their duties. A little wiser, and a lot more unsure.

As Maito Gai and Hatake Kakashi are about to pass through the Black Room's door frame, Tsunade asks Gai, Kakashi, I need you both for something. Please, shut the door. Knowing from her tone that it is likely to be more than a tongue-lashing for nearly being tardy to the meeting, they both turn back to the now-cleared floor space in front of the disheveled desk. Kakashi shuts the door, again empowering the seals of secrecy throughout the Black Room. Gai stands at attention, hands bundled at his sides, preparing for the challenge to come face on, while Kakashi slouches, ready to roll with the punches.

Early Spring, Konoha Village, Chuunin Apartment Complex, 8:00am

_Ahh, here we go! _ Rock Lee thinks to himself. He has already picked up _that_ brand of toothpaste, as well as a good supply of mouthwash to go along with it. He starts up the interior stairwell, after passing through the exterior doorway. _After that _huge_ meal, I am going to really do a good job brushing... I think I still taste some of that sugary Maple Syrup'. I can practically feel all that sugar chewing away at my teeth ._ Once inside his small apartment, he tosses the duffle bag on his reinforced couch-foldabed (He has long since reworked most of his furniture to withstand both the weighted gear he often uses, and his own heroic strength).

_Well, it may not be much between training and missions, but at least the price isn't bad, since the Hokage's office pays for the heat and electricity, _ Rock Lee considers. _I wonder why Naruto has always stayed at that run-down complex clear on the other side of Konoha - maybe he gets a deal on cable over there? Or is it because it's closer to that _Ichiraku_ ramen restaurant? I understand from Sakura-san that he is an orphan like me, so I would have thought that he would prefer to save what money he can by rooming at the apartments that are supported by the Hokages office..._

A/N: There are large apartment complexes for each level' of ninja, near the Hokage's office, that have price breaks' on the absolute necessities, strictly available _only_ to ninja of each rank - but they are often claustrophobically small. For the Chuunin' variety, think the average Tokyo single-occupant apartment one hears about. Jounin ones would be roughly a two person version, while Genin apartments are set up as three person set ups; however, that is because three Genin _do_ share the premises. Many Genin teams made up of orphaned ninja share such arrangements. Rock Lee lives in one of the Genin-class apartments, for the aforementioned reasons - it allows him to scrimp on his bills, and since he spends so much time on missions, training, and so on, that he almost doesn't mind the size.

Glancing at his wall calendar in passing onwards to the tiny bathroom, he sees his own specially-designed shorthand detailing a very important schedule on today's date box. he shouts (quietly - would not want to disturb the other Chuunin that take the overnight shifts...), pumping a tight fist in triumph. _Even though I spent nearly an half-hour longer than normal at that cafe, I still have time to cross paths with Sakura-san on her way to personal training with Hokage-sama on medical jutsu - if I can hurry just a bit._ With that thought he closes the bathroom door.

Early Spring, Konoha Village, Hokage's Offices, Black Room, 8:00am

And that is what you two are going to be handling. Kakashi, go make your preparations, along with this - The youngest-seeming of the three states, while handing over a special plaque. The lone eye of Kakashi wanders down the face palm-sized plaque, before returning his superior's gaze. Well, I guess I'd better hide this from Naruto, otherwise he''ll try to requisition all the cup-amen in Konoha the disaffected Jounin deadpans while shoving the item in a interior vest pocket. I assume that this will be good in most parts of the Five Countries? he confirms with a question. That's right - and it is the only one in Konoha - so treat the protection of it as a Rank B Mission. Konoha is bound to pay any bills that are signified with the special seals burned into that plaque - even if means totally bankrupting the entire village. But, I suspect you'll need it more as proof of the seriousness of the mission, less so to request the various resources for your team's mission outside of Fire Country The Hokage finishes with a slight grin. _If only I'd had that back when I was on my gambling trips... oh well _ she thinks to herself.

(A/N: If it isn't clear, the small plaque Tsunade gave to Kakashi is the ninja equivalent of an Unlimited Credit Card - all purchases will be forwarded to the Office of Hokage for final payment, and by extension, the entire Leaf Village. Each Hidden Village has one, more often used as proof of sincerity of what a diplomat- or message-nin states in political exchanges is true - like a badge of truth - rather than as a credit card. The fact that she gave it to Kakashi, means that Tsunade is expecting his team to incur unusual expenses, or be away from the village - or more likely both at the same time)

Finished with that issue, the Fifth asks Gai, is there any question over your team's missions? Or, do you think that the assignments should be made over? of the big, expressive Jounin. _NO!_ Shaking his head strongly, Your plan is ideal - it is an excellent use of my teams Special Advantages (A/N: Yes, he _DID_ say those last words with an uppercase, underlined emphasis... Gai's goofy like that. ;) Poor Kakashi almost succeeds in muffling a groan at this statement. Special Advantages? _Tha's a charitable way to term them. Gai's team is almost strictly geared for open warfare, what with those two close-in fighters with diametrically-opposed methodologies covering each others' tactical weaknesses, and a ranged-combat specialist for sniping support. How could the Fifth think that Gai's team would be a good choice for this mission? Well, true, Rock Lee's supposed role would be almost literally impossible to see through, but his eagerness' makes for too great of a chance to blow it, in my mind. But, that opinion is going to have to stay_ _where it is - _ the Copy Ninja thinks. His left eye peeking over towards the taller of the two Jounin, he continues with -_and maybe this will burn off some of Gai's excess energy -- that crack-of-dawn summons today... What was he thinking, giving me that piggyback ride _AFTER_ he'd dropped his training weights' as he calls those monstrosities. Almost lost yesterday's dinner with that stunt, and cleaning these face-masks is a real chore. _

At the same time the still slightly-queasy Kakashi is considering dropping Gai's name in the pro-bono missions' weekly drawing for the next _year_, the Beautiful Beast' himself is having a hard time restraining his cheer over his little teams' challenge. _This will challenge the whole team's skills in ways that they haven't trained for in _years_. And Lee will able to Burn most Brightly with the Flames of Youth, showing how even his more base skills have improved, due to his Most Vigorous Training._

As the first female Hokage dismisses her two most accomplished Jonin, all three silently share the same thought... _But, what if we cannot stop this? The end of all Chakra Manipulation could mean a new war... one the likes of which even the _First_ and _Second_ could have not even _dreamed_ of_...

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Author's Notes:  
Well, here we go, the third installment of To Abide By, and Protect My Ninja Way. It actually took me a while to come up with a good story name that not only reflected the star character, Rock Lee, well - but also framed the main story plot well. The threat of some toxin, element, or technique that eventually kills any Chakra Manipulator (Ninja) who comes in contact with it. Sounds like Konaha's rising stars may well have to protect their ninja way' in a most literal way - or go the way of the samurai.

We've seen that the Naruto World has somewhat-comparable technology to ours - maybe not in _firearms_ technology (but if Chakra Manipulation becomes a thing of the past, you can bet _that_ will change), but surely in machine-making, metalsmithing, and perhaps even communications. Didn't we see _Satellite Dishes_ built into the secondary rooftops beneath the Hokage's and Kazekage's seating area, during the last section of the Chuunin Exam? If anyone can provide further proof of satellite communication capability with info from official sources' like the manga, anime, or the authorized data books, this author humbly asks for a quick note to that effect in Reviews. Some of the later chapters may have to be changed, depending what I can find by the time I post those chapters.

Another thing - some may have noticed how I am bouncing back and forth between several different scenes that are occuring simultaneously; I apologize if this is confusing, and I am attempting to signify the change of scene as clearly as possible. If anyone prefers a certain method others have used in other stories, let me know in the Reviews, and I'll take the most popular approach.

Finally, contrary to what has happened so far, I'm not planning on winding out this story minute-by-minute. I just wanted to show a bit of the everyday' abutted with


	4. Beauty and Beast, Unlikely Pair!

Early Spring, Konoha Village, just outside of the Hokage's Office, 8:45am

We find Rock Lee leaning against the wall, off to one side of the main staircase to the Hokage's Offices.

He is craning his neck over his left shoulder, gazing up the stairwell. His plain features are practically broadcasting joy.

"YOOOSSHH ! _I can tell this is already going to be a good luck day! _" Rock Lee thinks with excitement., barely refraining from hollering his happiness out to the world at large. "Sakura-san_ commented on how nice it was to see _me. " A little grin lifts the sides of his mouth; when he thinks of how much more improved that greeting was over that one time he formally introduced himself years ago... "_My Power of Youth is blazing! She just might be finally getting over Sasuke, after all these years, and after all that pain that wielder of the Sharingan had put her through..._"_  
_  
Then, face clouding over as it drops back down towards his shinobi-sandaled feet, Rock Lee rests his tall frame against the staircase's support wall rising up behind him. "_But, she did seem really distracted. She said something about having to go gather scrolls, books, and other files on rare Chakra Disorders, right? _" Recalling more of the conversation, the Green Beast of Konoha considers another possibility. "_She was more than likely just being polite in order to hurry on and complete that collection mission Hokage-sama had given her as part of her new training today._" With a heavy sigh, and shoulders sagging slightly, Rock Lee seems to accept that was more likely the case.

Trademark eyebrows crouching lower, black eyes drilling holes into the concrete at his feet, Rock Lee gains a new look - this time of anger? It is as if the Taijutsu Specialist was wrestling once again with a much-despised foe. "_If only I did not have such horrible problems with my own Chakra Control, I might be of some help to her, and win a larger place in her heart._" The earlier grin since upended into a frown, Rock Lee looks disappointed as this idea travels through his mind. _"Since pouring my everything into Taijutsu, and Gouken specifically, I really have not had all that much time to study such things like Chakra Disorders._ "

The moment of self-doubt passes. His brow lifts as he realizes something else, something good. "_Hey, that's right. If _I _can't be of help on my own, with all my training_ in Gouken_, in Taijutsu, then I think I know how I can be of help to Sakura-san after all, indirectly at least _". Scowl now reversing itself back again into the familiar grin, he leans forward, taking a step away from the staircase's support wall. "That's right!" the Chuunin declares out loud, startling a passerby or two in the process of making the sudden declaration. Holding a folded fist up in self-challenge, he declares "If I can't get _him_ to lend a hand in Sakura-san's research, I will forego training for the entire day!" To anyone else, that would have been an encouragement to fail - but to Rock Lee, being such a complete workaholic, that outcome would be a near-tragedy... doubly so, as that would mean that he would not work off that unintentional feast from earlier today.

After adding this new addition to 'My Rules', the passionate teen heads out, merging with the outgoing foot traffic wending away from the Hokage's Offices. Finding a clear path, he picks up speed, and turns towards his target: the Hyuuga Estates.

Early Spring, Konoha Village, Hyuuga Estates, 9 am

At the Main Entrance of the Hyuuga Estates, we find the stout gates opening, allowing a single person exit, then arduously swiveling shut again. When the heavy steel gates come to rest fully, a heavy, metallic noise resounds. At the ominous sound of the gates locking once again, the young heiress of the Hyuuga cringes for a moment, before turning northward --

!Kbam!

-- promptly slamming straight into the galloping Green Beast of Konoha, who had been hurrying to make his arrival before the Main Gate had fully closed.

We see that the two teen ninja are now carefully extricating themselves from the knot of limbs and bodies they found themselves heaped in, in front of the Main Gate (and after checking for any serious collision damage).

Hinata makes her apologies first, but it is obvious that Hinata is hardly able to raise her lavender eyes more than an inch or two above Rock Lee's midriff, due to her mortified embarrassment of being caught so unaware of her surroundings as to inconvenience another person (a terrible example of awareness of her surrounding as a ninja, and a Hyuuga one at that, it seems, in her mind). She manages to stutter out "U-Umm, I am really, _VERY, _sorry for bumping into you, Rock Lee-san..." while bowing forward with clasped hands in front of her, her voice picking up steam at the end.

Now also back on his blue-sandaled feet, the elder Chuunin surreptitiously tries to hide a particularly sore spot at his side. Rock Lee plants left hand just above left hip, puts his best, brightest, smile on to reassure Neji's younger cousin, and snaps a smart wave-off with his right hand. He shoos away her apology with a bandaged palm, as if it were an errant summer fly idly buzzing past. Then, he continues to further carry his point across, gesturing strongly all the while: "Not at all, Hyuuga Hinata-san!" !PING! "I was allowing my youthful enjoyment of the morning to carry me a little too far, and did not reign myself in well enough to stop in time!" !PING! "I only hope that I have not caused you any discomfort this grand morning!" !PING! By this time, the heavy-browed martial artist struggling between a 'Nice-Guy Pose', and a 'Damn, gotta-hide-that-my-ribs-are-killing-me' pose.

At all this, the dark-blue haired inheritor of Hyuuga is greatly entertained. She is humored greatly as the zealously over-expressive speech and mannerisms of her cousin's teammate continue on, as she watches with left hand curled near her chin. She grins at Rock Lee's antics, while whatever minor aches caused by the impact of the two Chuunin disappear as lighter emotions bubble up inside. All in response to the much-taller Taijutsu Specialist's further attempts to reassure her that the accident was fully his fault, and that he is much aggrieved to have caused her any harm. So much different than what she experiences inside the Hyuuga Estate, and from her own father, that she wonders how two such different persons can exist within the same Village.

Internally, Hinata thinks further on how much similar to her Naruto her cousin's teammate is. "_I have always wondered why is it that Neji-nii-san has thought of Rock Lee-san as such a great, big, nuisance. Rock Lee-san has always seemed to be an enjoyable person to be around, and has such honesty and _energy_ in his emotions. In that, he has sometimes reminded me of Naruto-kun. Hm, maybe that's why - perhaps Neji-nii-san still hasn't fully recovered his old self yet from _before_, and it bothers him that he cannot be as open with his emotions with anyone just yet. SIGH I wish I could be as open and honest with my strong feelings for Naruto-kun, even just as much as Rock Lee-san has been this morning._"

Meanwhile, during Hinata's stuttered apology further ruminations, Rock Lee is actually thinking something similar, and yet different about the younger cousin of his stoic teammate. "_Ow! OW! _OWW!_ If Neji's little cousin can do _this_ much damage_ _accidentally _tripping_ into someone just passing by, I _really_ don't want to know what she could do if she set her mind to it with _Jyuuken."

Internally wincing over the pain in his left side, where apparently Hinata's heel had somehow attempted to find a place to rest during the early morning crash, Rock Lee's thoughts meander further: "_Whenever I asked about her, Neji just scowled, and attempted to change the subject. What little I could get out of him, was that she was always a weak-willed failure. I don't see that, and haven't really seen that at any of the times Hinata and I have met over the years after Academy. During the Chuunin Exam, she fought on even after Neji-san had hit her tenketsu, and had rendered her Jyuuken attacks useless, even to the point of literal collapse. Sure, she might be a little shy, but maybe no one has ever encouraged her to be as open and truthful about her feelings as she could be, like Gai-sensei has always done for TenTen and myself. It can take _farmore_ strength of self to continually be the polite one, and to be forgiving of others, that be a brash person, like that Inuzuka Kiba person Hinata is teamed with. Gai-sensei tried to encourage Neji's expression of emotion, but my Eternal Rival has always preferred locking everything away, except for a feeling of contempt for the weak. And almost anyone else is weak in comparison to the Hyuuga Genius._" Refraining from grimacing, even just mentally at that last thought, he realizes that, to be fair, Neji has had a hard life. In some ways, Neji's life had been harder than his own. So, feeling that he should not judge him _d_ harshly, he lets that little bit of resentment drain away.

"_Hey!_" thinks the premier martial arts student of Konoha "_Hinata might be even a better choice for what Sakura-san needs for her assignment, and I'll bet Hinata would be more willing and able to help out, as she's been looking into medical training as well. That's what Nara Shikamaru was saying that once at the Ichiraku last week, right? I think he said something about Hinata taking some of the specialized, but still lesser, healing techniques from each of the major clans, and collecting it for the 'common ninja' to use. Having her being the heir of the Hyuuga would not be a bad thing, either. She could even maybe access classified Hyuuga documents for the Hokage's research the clan might not share otherwise._"

The Hyuuga ruling hierarchy was well-known for it's reluctance to share any information about their clan's advanced chakra manipulation techniques, beyond the absolute bare minimum to participate as _the_ premier ninja clan of Konoha. This was on the grounds that sharing too much information on Chakra Theory would allow some other Ninja Clan to gain too much insight into how the Hyuuga clan's techniques worked, and _that_ would eventually lead to someone figuring out a means of countering the Jyuuken martial arts style's method of blocking the use of Chakra-empowered jutsu - thus eliminating a vast portion of the Hyuuga clan's superiority over most other Ninja clans the world over.

"Aa-hh, yes, Rock Lee-san, I'm fine, just f-fine" stutters the slight kunoichi, heading off further exhortations of apology from the Thick-Browed Student of Gouken. Screwing up her courage further, Konoha's Number One Shyest Ninja continues a bit stronger than before. Still never looking directly at the face of the target of her questions, Hinata's eyes nervously quiver back and forth, side to side, up to the left, and then down to the lower right while she speaks. "E-er, excuse me, but I was wondering, if y-you could say, why you were coming to the E-estate? Neji-nii-san isn't here." Even her still-delicate fingers are now tapping, tapping, tapping against each other, showing just how hard it is for her to impose upon someone else.

Startled into ceasing his fusillade of apologies, Rock Lee now switches from his 'blinding smile' to merely a 'bright grin'.

"Oh, Right! I almost forgot! I did come to see Neji for something, but I think that you would be even better choice for this that Neji-san!"

At this, the little blue-haired Byukagan user looks supremely suprised at this. Her entire form shows such shock that someone would be wanting _her_ for something that Neji-nii-san was initially thought would be suited for. "W-what? Y-you think that... How could I be - ! How would I be the be-better choice for something you came to ask Neji-nii-san for?" She appears as if she could not be any more startled to find out that she'd won the Konoha Lottery...

Rock Lee stops Hinata's nervously-tapping hands, by earnestly cupping them with his own heavily-bandaged ones. Then, he leans forward, bringing his viewpoint more in line with her much shorter one, and presents a question to the now-startled Chuunin kunoichi user of _Jyuuken_. Grinning, while his eyes are shut in momentary self-satisfaction in obvious pleasure that he'd thought of an even better way to help his dear Sakura-san, he asks: "Hinata, as a member of the prestigious Hyuuga Clan, you study all sorts of Chakra Disorders, yes? And, as for your family's _Jyuuken,_ it is designed to take advantage of the Chakra Coil System's delicate nature to fight, so you'd know all _sorts_ of ways that the Chakra Coils of the body could be disturbed, or even _infected_, right?"

At this, the little ninja named for sunny fields raises her eyebrows, and looks utterly lost at this apparently-random affirmation of the Hyuuga specialties. Rock Lee was right, she _had_ to study a great deal about various Chakra Disorders, and the ways that the Chakra Coils could be disturbed by the environment, or even by disease. This was all in preparation of being able to cause similar effects with _Jyuuken_. "_But, any Ninja outside of the Hyuuga Clan would know this. Neji-nii-san had often shared how badly he had beaten Rock Lee-san during their training runs. For that reason alone, wouldn't it be Neji-nii-san's own teammate that would know of all this most clearly, right? Why is he asking this? _"

"Ah-h, yes-s, that is rr-right -- _Jyuuken _ requires a l-lot of study of the Chakra Coil System. But, w-why would you want _me_, when Neji-nii-san has mastered the _Jyuuken _to such a higher level than I h-have?"

"Ah, you _may_ be right that Neji is the best at _Jyuuken_, but a martial artist was not exactly what I needed Hinata, now that I have reasoned it out more thoroughly. Actually, I heard from Nara Shikamaru that you were collecting weaker healing techniques from many of the more-important Clans in Konoha, to create a sort of general-access medical jutsu set of scrolls... THAT is why you would be better than Neji-san for this thing I would ask of you." During this partial explanation, Rock Lee again opens his large, perfectly round eyes, his utter conviction in his choice to choose Hinata over Neji shining in his eyes. So close to her pale features is he, that Hinata thinks she can see reflections of her suprised features in his eyes as they stare unblinking, looking for her reaction.

"Hinata-san, if you don't have anything else planned, could you help me find extra materials on rare Chakra Disorders, so I can help my beloved Sakura-san? Hokage-sama is requiring Sakura-san to gather all sorts of material on that subject for her medic-nin training. I was hoping to show her that while I suffer my own difficulties with Chakra, I am still able to support her in her chosen field of study... and maybe win a larger space in her heart. Hinata-san, do you think that you could help me win the love of my life, by helping me help her?" Finishing with getting the idea across, Rock Lee's mighty eyebrows lift slightly mid brow, as if they also were begging for her help. This had the effect of making the 'Fierce Green Beast of Konoha' look more like the 'Sad Puppy of the Dog Pound' - especially with his odd, perfectly-black iris-and-pupil eyes.

Now that Rock Lee has voiced his idea to her, Hinata's own features relax from their previously startled expression. Her own slender eyebrows lower, and her eyes return to that half-lidded look when she's pleased with something. She smiles brilliantly, and accepts with a clear, bright voice. "HAI! Rock Lee-san, I would be most pleased to help you with your search."

But, just after she says this, her face falls slightly. Her eyes drop to the side as she remembers something. "A-ano, I am sorry, but I was actually on the way to request a mission from Hokage-sama or Shizune-sempai. I want to s-strengthen my resolve as a field ninja, and become a stronger p-person."

"Ah, I see; wanting to become a stronger person is _always_ a worthy goal, Hinata-san." Rock Lee looks a little crestfallen at this admission of Hinata's, with his smile greatly diminished. His strong voice sounds only a little bit dampened by this, however; if it was anyone out of his generation that understood that same desire for self-improvement, it was Rock Lee himself. As he acknowledges Hinata's desire to be a stronger, more self-assured person, his hands drop away from Hinata's, ending up hanging loose at his sides. "I _do_ understand your will to improve yourself Hinata. Perhaps when you get back from the mission, we can go over the research at that time?" Nodding briefly at his own acceptance of the situation, he turns back to the street he had just came down a few minutes earlier. He starts walking, albeit at a much more reserved rate than he arrived.

As Rock Lee straightens up, and begins turning away from young heiress, Hinata starts once more. She reaches (weakly) for her sempai's rough hand, but stops almost before starting. Her chin tucks itself into the Hitate-and-scarf wrapped around her throat. Her already-pale colored eyes become even cloudier, if that is possible.

We feel sorry for them both; sometimes the best of ideas come just a little too late.

Then, the hand she had been reaching with closes into an informal fist. Hinata's head inclines back up to its former position. Then, we hear Hinata draw a short intake of breath. And she lets it out again just as quickly, after only holding it for but a moment.

She takes one, two, several steps after the retreating form of the spandex-clad Chuunin. Even just this brief time later, Rock Lee's singularly speedy stride has carried him some distance; he is almost at the nearest crossroads. Hinata reaches his side while he waits for a break in the foot-traffic to make his way. She pauses just a moment behind the man she'd just denied assistance to. She looks as if she is steeling herself for some bitter reaction, and steps forward to stand side-by-side with the oddly-attired ninja. " I did not mean to disappoint you earlier, Rock Lee-san, but I hope I can provide _some_ help before I have to prepare to leave? I may be on the way to receive a mission to strengthen my own resolve, but we could talk over the basics on the way over, okay?" All stated while looking straight ahead into the shifting crowds, and almost pulled it off with confidence, but heir of Hyuuga once again turned a statement into a weak question at the end, making it sound as if she was asking permission - rather than offering a minor bit of help to a comrade.

When the shorter ninja steps to his right, Rock Lee blinks in suprise. Fully intent on her appearance when Hinata offers a sort of second chance, his whole demeanor regains it's normal energetic manner. "Yosh! THANK YOU, Hinata!" He drops his right hand on her left shoulder, grinning madly (but without a !PING! - yet). "I know that you did not mean to, Hinata-san. Whatever help you can give will be fine." In response, Hinata lets go of the held breath that she hadn't been aware that she'd been holding, and smiles again. "BUT! As I am sure I took up a lot of your time this morning, how about we take a shortcut to the Hokage's offices Hinata-san?" Hinata's happy features shift into a question. They were already on a street that was on a (mostly) straight line for the Hokage's offices. She looks to be wondering what her year-senior Academy graduate means by a 'shortcut'.

After smiling happily at Hinata's change of heart, Rock Lee turns to Hinata, and gathers her up in both arms, as if to carry her over a threshold. This suprising turn of events elicits a rather mouse-like "SQUEAK!" from arguably the most important member the most powerful of Konoha ninja clans. What would Gai-sensei's most dedicated student be thinking, we wonder? "Hold on, Hinata-san," declares Rock Lee happily, while scanning the nearby rooftops "I haven't put on my leg weights for today, as I was practicing _Initial_ _Lotus_ this morning." The rather stunned Hinata looks questioningly at 'Thick-Brows', as Naruto would have called him. Then, as those last few words of Rock Lee's sink in, her eyes snap open as far as the Hyuuga eye can go in realization. (and for a Clan known for Doujutsu, Eye Techniques, that's a bit farther than normal :)

She had forgotten that, for all of her sempai's limitations, and for even all the apparent similarities _in_ _looks_ to a green turtle, being _slow_ _as a turtle_ was not one of those limitations or similarities that Rock Lee had...

She tries to speak up before Rock Lee does what she thinks he's going to do, before he finds a good starting rooftop perch.

Too Late!

Between eye blinks, the young pair of Chuunin _vanish_ into thin air, causing a few nearest to gasp in either exasperation (elder ninja on their days off) or in suprise (regular citizens of Konoha). We catch a green-and-beige blur bouncing from roof to roof, making a straight beeline for the Hokage's offices.

Halfway there, we catch sight of a certain gray-haired Jounin-sensei. He is just finishing his morning reading of a rather risqué manga, snaps it shut, and lazily looks over at the paired blur racing past. Standing up from his perch without any apparent concern for balance on a local telephone line stretched taut, Hatake Kakashi takes stock of the unusual sight of Rock Lee carrying Hyuuga Hinata, beaming an unabashed smile the whole time.

"Oh? Hmm, maybe this means that Gai's student has finally switched targets? This will make for a good advantage the next time Gai challenges me. Well, I guess it's time to meet the team; I think that 3 hours is good enough. Haaah." The Thousand-Jutsu Copy Ninja shrugs nonchalantly, lifts his right hand in the manner of summoning chakra, and 'poofs' away.

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Author's Notes: Hehe. Whew, Fourth Chapter, Complete! Wow, sorry about that longish wait folks. I know I've gotten a certain amount of notice (around 30 or so estimated separate viewings I figure), but due to my misuse of the posting function, and subsequent revisions made to the first chapter, I had accidentally deleted my first reviews; that's probably why I haven't seen much 'review' level interest. I've seen a lot of good, well written 'fics apparently not get many reviews total (or per chapter), until the total hits about 50ish. Then, it seems that it's almost a contest to see who can review first. Please, even if it seems to be just another 'Hey, this cool, keep it up" or a "Erg, what IS this?" thing, I'd like to hear it. Positive or negative, feedback is muchly desired.

Magus Black, thank you for 'finding where you put that bookmark'! Your current reviews are muchly appreciated!

Keep checking, as I will be trying to release these chapters more frequently. I did have minor case of writer's block, but all of a sudden, the chapter just flew out. I had originally planned on Neji getting pestered into helping his Eternal Rival, but a better idea of how to to use the 'Branch Family's Genius' sorta popped into my head. More on that in later chapters. MUHAHAH.

I was hoping to keep Hinata IC, but I found her a bit hard, as I was trying to show that, while she is still shy, she is getting much better than she had been, even in comparision to how she was after the Chuunin Exam. What is everyone's vote on Hinata, or Rock Lee, for that matter? Have I underplayed/overplayed any aspect of the characters? Opinions please! One thing: no, I'm not 'setting up' these two; Hinata just 'works' better for the story line than most of the other characters at this point. I didn't wish to create OCs yet (and I plan to try to keep important OCs to a minimum), and she fit the bill.

By the way, any particular main characters people would like to see sooner, rather than later? Keep in mind, that all this takes place _sideways_ to the current manga arc; that gives me the most flexibility and options (and any cool developments that Kishimoto-sensei comes up with) for the characters. Yes, even for Sasuke, Itachi, Orochimaru and _that_ crowd. While I do consider Sasuke a 'villain' now, that doesn't mean he will be irredeemable; or, at least that's my hope for the 'real' manga story line.

Also, if I screw up any romanji in this 'fic, please let me know. I feel I've gotten a decent grasp, but wish to include it more - but I don't wish to turn this into a hybrid-language 'fic, or use japanese 'just 'cuz'. Instead, I intend to use it as a gourmet cook would use a strong spice - as a flavoring, not the main dish, if that makes any sense. 


	5. Mystery Missions! To Find, & Discover!

Early Spring, Konoha Village, Hokage's Offices, Mission Assignment Room, 9:15 am

Just ahead of the speeding pair we left a moment ago, we look into the large meeting room meant for potential clients and the ninja they hire from Konoha, Village Hidden in the Leaves. We find all sorts of ninja coming and going about the very business of Konoha - accepting jobs from clients, after the job has been screened by the Hokage or other senior ninja of the village. Kurenai, along with four other senior ninja (who are Jounin-level) are diligently interviewing likely clients, sorting through personnel files, and assigning the best available ninja to the accepted jobs.

All in all, it looks as if business is booming; there must be a hundred representatives from throughout the Shinobi World. There almost isn't enough room to allow easy walking between the various client posting lines for the various Job Ranks. These lines are forming up under hanging posters with the letters and depicted on them; they are the l.

There is also a large, clearly worded poster taking up a large portion of the left-hand wall, which shows the terms categorizing the Job Ranks, and giving examples of what the expected going rates are for hiring ninja on said jobs. There is even a handful of Water Country merchants wearing their land's trademark rain cloaks standing at the Job Ranks and Terms Poster, looking over the terms under B Rank examples of jobs and duties.

Yuuhi Kurenai sighs in exasperation at all the paperwork that she is currently wading through. She looks over the hundreds of jobs offerings that have been dropped into her IN' box only just this week. Many of the summaries seem to be for exploratory, protection, or assault and assassination jobs; some of the highest-paying jobs around.

_I know we can still use all the work we can get, to strengthen our position within the shinobi world, but this is ridiculous. We've gotten a sudden spike in Class A job requests, even from so far away as Earth Country, and Lightning Country._ Musing over this oddity while in-between accepted job assignments, her thin eyebrows wrinkle in frustration and concern. _The sheer volume of high-end postings , even from Countries with well-established Hidden Villages, might mean that there might be another War of the Hidden Villages coming - that the other Countries are trying to wear Konoha down before formally declaring war._ Kurenai shakes her head, clearing the cobwebs in her mind from having put too many hours in this week. _No, no, that couldn't be it - we've actually been doing pretty good with forging diplomatic relations lately with all but the Sound; we've even finished signing another treaty with Hidden Cloud that is about as ironclad as anything in today's world._

She leans back in her folding chair, catching one foot under a set of low-hanging drawers attached to the table in front of her, to balance her precarious position. _I really hope this is not related to the Chakra Disorder issue Hokage-sama briefed us on. I know I said I'd fill in for Shine for a while so she could assist more at the Chakra Damage Ward, but I'm not really cut out for this..._

The crimson-eyed genjutsu specialist Jounin stretches one arm behind her head, the other towards the ceiling. She allows herself a yawn; since she has another 15 minutes before Hyuuga Hinata is due for her assigned mission detail, and she's already put in 60 hours this week (by Wednesday, she would remind you), she feels that she's entitled. Not to mention the stress caused by the revelations given by the Hokage this morning...

One of the senior Jounin sitting next to Kurenai nudges her briefly in the side, getting her attention. the he whispers quietly. Um, I think your 9:30 is a little early... Kurenai blinks stuperously at her fellow ninja. She lowers her arms, and turns her head in the direction indicated by her fellow Jounin's pointed finger. We follow as well, and discover Hinata and Rock Lee weaving carefully through the crowded lines of job posters.

A short gasp is heard, before the Jounin swings back into action.

Quickly, she uses one foot's position under the table as leverage to pull herself fully upright again. She snatches a few random mission folders, and makes herself look busy. Apparently, Kurenai is not only just good at genjutsu-based illusions!

As the reason for Kurenai's suddenly renewed attention to the job at hand reaches the nearest ranks of the Mission Pick-Up lines, we hear a rather thready Hinata speak to her chagrined sempai: Thank you very much for escorting m-me to the m-Mission Assignment Room, Lee, however...

Somehow, the Green Beast looks rather Pink now, what with the embarrassed coloration of his cheeks, and right hand rubbing the back of his head. He accepts the shyest Hyuuga's words with a nod, while his large pinball eyes look down and away from her. He tries to explain why a fifteen minute jog took less than two minutes via the Gouken Express'.

Yes, I am really sorry about that, Hinata-san; that is why Gai-Sensei put me on a strict rule to not ever take off my weights, unless protecting a great many others... I myself had difficulties the first time I removed my weights once I had trained up my leg strength. The tall Taijutsu Specialist s eyes roll over to better gauge the little kunoichi's recovery, as they both step to the front of the line for Mission Acceptions. Are you _sure_ you are feeling all right, Hinata-san?I am feeling much better now, and thank you for asking, Lee-san.

With the third confirmation of her well-being out of the way, Hinata turns to the desk, only to start in suprise as seeing her Jounin-sensei! Kurenai-Sensei? W-what are... A small, pale hand lifts to her mouth, while wide, lavender-white eyes look left and right for the expected senior student of the current Hokage.

Oh, Shizune asked me to take over her Mission Assignment docket for the week, while she assisted with... some other matters. Kurenai states casually, as she shifts her crimson eyes over to take in the broad-shouldered form of her escort

_Hm. Rock Lee and Hyuuga Hinata? That s a strange combination. I thought that they really did not travel in the same circles... or more likely, Neji would violently keep his teammate away from his first cousin? _

At her curious appraisal, Rock Lee snaps into a perfect at attention' stance, with both hands clasped behind him, looking at a blank spot just above an to the side of Kurenai's sitting form.

Rock Lee? What are you doing here? I thought that...HAI! the passionate ninja interjects.

Kurenai-Sensei, I was discussing some personal matters with Hinata, when she stated that she was due for an important mission assignment. I did not realize until we were already here that she was not, in fact, late at the time she mentioned her appointment. I apologize if this upsets your busy schedules this morning! I am ready to accept any punishment!

Kurenai looks a little dumbfounded by a ninja who is sorry for _being early_, rather than _being late_. Er, that's all right Lee; I was just looking over her file. No one should be punished for being _early_, Lee.

Now looking a bit owlishly at the still-at-attention Lee, she sighs tiredly.

At _ease_, Lee. However, I do have something for you after I am finished with Hinata's mission assignment, okay?

The Genius of Hard Work reluctantly relaxes his pose, taking a only-slightly less taut stance. Thank you, Kurenai-Sensei. I eagerly await for your brilliant words of wisdom.

Staring for just a bit longer, as if trying to decide if the teen was being serious, Kurenai brings her attention back to her expected charge. Hinata, the assignment Shizune assigned you is here in this sealed scroll. You are going to undertake a search and evaluation mission for a special resource Konoha needs to acquire. You may choose any one three-Genin team that has been cleared by their Jounin-Sensei for this mission's listed rank. Considering the difficulty of the mission, you may choose an appropriately-cleared Chuunin as an assistant leader. This means that you will be in charge of the mission as the overall leader, however, and all command decisions will rest on you. Shizune, Hokage-sama, and myself, incidentally, felt this would be a good time for you to get used to leading Ninja Teams of your own. You have one day to review the contents, choose your team, and gather your team's supplies. Do you understand, Hinata? This will be your first field team mission as a Chuunin. Do your best, Hinata! With this last, Yuuhi Kurenai smiles beatifically at her once-genin student, hoping to give the timid kunoichi the courage she would need.

If this had been any other ninja, her mouth would be making a crater on the floor, or jumping in joy. Because this was Hinata, her features blanked in suprise, concern, and more than a bit of... fear.

A-ano, are you sure that this is the right mission scroll, Kurenai-Sensei? I w-was thinking that my m-mission would be a short escort mission. Or, or, maybe some kind of spying mission? And, my first Field Team! _I_ am to lead it? How can I -- ?

At his year-junior's clear concern over her first command, Rock Lee offers his own brand of encouragement.

Do not worry Hinata-san! You have been training so hard over the past three years, and accomplished so much that ninja years senior could not have! Just think back to the Written Test portion of the Chuunin Exam! So many others bowed out, fearing the future to come! You, however, did NOT! You girded yourself for the worst to come, and took the challenge of the Tenth Question, thinking it could permanently ruin your chances at advancement as a Ninja! During the Shinomori "Forest of Death" Survival Test, your strength did not fail! I did not see you during that part of the test, but Kiba-san, and even Shino-san, praised you in their own ways when I asked how your team fared. They both asserted that without your skills, it would have been a completely different level of test for them; they depend greatly on your steadfast strength! Even during your match with Neji - your Branch Family's Genius, for whom you care for greatly, and upon whom you would not wish any harm - you showed all the courage and determination of a beautiful flower blossoming in the glorious sunlight after a hard rain! If you could do such difficult things as all those, I know you can do this, Hinata-san, and accomplish greater things besides!

All this while, Rock Lee is in full Heroic Declaration of Firey Youth Pose': gesturing with both bandaged-wrapped hands, while radiating positive emotion and strength of belief. Meanwhile, local groupings of fellow Ninja, as well as clients, are all craning their necks trying to get a clear look at who this powerfully emotional affirmation is describing.

(Lee is rather _loud_ as an confidence-builder, we note with a bit of suprise.)

The recipient of all this unwanted attention is now again tapping her slim index fingers against one another, and bowing her head in slight embarrassment that anyone would think her so strong.

Kurenai thinks. while watching Hinata's reaction to all this. _I never thought that Gai had taught him such awareness of his fellows - or maybe this comes naturally to Lee. Whichever happens to be the case, while I think he probably embarrassed Hinata into next week - _ Looking back at the still-pontificating Lee now, she muses further _I think that she'll probably take strength from having such a hard working example of an excellent ninja affirming her past actions, and encouraging her future accomplishments._ __

That's enough, Lee! Finally, Kurenai interrupts Lee's impromptu speech.

It hadn't seemed that he was going to be winding down anytime soon; the bold youth startles, but he complies, snapping back to attention after making brief apologies.

Kurenai continues with her still-too-early 9:30 appointment: Hinata, I know you think that this is too much of a step for you, but Lee's right; your desire to change yourself has brought you much farther than you think. You just need to gain confidence in your own decision-making abilities, and that is why this mission was chosen. Now, I've to take care of a lot of other mission assignments, so why don't you take your mission assignment over to the Hokage Library, and study over that scroll. You'd have access to the personnel files you'd need to select your team as well. Later on, I'll try to stop by to see how you are doing, all right, Hinata?h-Hai, Kurenai-Sensei. the fur-coated heiress stutters. She secures the mission scroll in her suprisingly voluminous coat, and bows her head to both of her seniors - first Kurenai, as due her Jounin status, and then Lee as her year-senior. Hinata makes the proper pardons, and leaves, carefully weaving back into the crowd.

Kurenai catches Lee's black eyes with her red ones. Thank you for seeing Hinata to her appointment, Lee, but she needs to see to her assignment now. Kurenai's face hardens for a moment, then the genjutsu specialist Jounin continues. I need to inform you something about your own mission assignment now.__

The young Konoha Chuunin remaining takes this news with a raising of prodigious eyebrows. Heh? You have a mission for me, Kurenai-Sensei? I thought you might have had just a message about what training field my team were assigned to over the next week...Yes, Lee. However, all I can tell you is that it is a special A-Rank Mission, and that it is under strict need-to-know classifications. I was informed of only this little bit of information this morning, and only so I could forward you on to Hokage-sama herself for a private mission briefing, if I happened to see you.

As this bit of detail is mentioned, Rock Lee's already-raised eyebrows attempt to merge with his hairline, and his jaw drops a bit, leaving him looking a little like a gasping fish.

t-The Hokage?_I haven't really met with her since she healed my wounds from the Chuunin Exam; even when she assigned my team to back-up Team 7 during the Mission to Sand, It was only for the shortest of moments. She is still such a n imposing figure._

Features regaining some composure after giving himself a quick shake, Rock Lee snaps to attention again. Smartly bringing his right hand to his brow in a salute, he asks for clarification.

And where does Hokage-sama wish to hold the mission brief, Kurenai-Sensei?

The normally-calm features of the senior ninja twitch almost unnoticeably, before she informs the proud youth.

She waves him closer, and motions him to lend a ear. Come closer, Lee.

Rock Lee does as requested. Whispering, with a single hand cupping the space between his ear and her mouth, Kurenai relays only three words. But those three words, unheard by anyone else, not even by our sharp ears, cause the only ninja of Konaha to have graduated the Academy without Genjutsu or Ninjutsu skill of any kind to blanch, his normally-large black eyes to shrink to small pinpoints, and shiver in recognition.

Early Spring, Konoha Village, Training Field 9, 11:30 am  
**Bold in Quotes** gives Inner Sakura's commentary as it happens.

!K-POW!

WHAT! I've been waiting since six in the MORNING, Sakura-chan! Six hours is pushing it, even for Kaka-Sensei, right, right? And besides, it's almost lunchtime, and I didn't have time for breakfast! A stil-hyper blonde ninja in orange and black rubs his head where a painful upswelling rapidly forms. The pink-haired kunoichi next to him, in a red-and-beige athletic wear, is still brandishing a shaking fist at her loudmouth teammate. Naruto, I know that! **DUH, you dumb blonde!** But something's going on, and Kakashi-sensei might know something. We're staying until he shows up. Harano Sakura calms herself, and a look of concerned worry crosses her face as she looks over her bare shoulder towards the training field's bridge. _Kakashi-Sensei almost always appears on the large red gate mounted on the near side of the bridge within two hours of the scheduled time; normally, I would have given up and gone home a good hour ago. The 2 hours' lag since I arrived from my Medic-nin training with the Hokage, plus the additional time Naruto's already waited would make me think that today's training was canceled, but..._**Something is really sketchy around here.**

Sakura puts a fingerless gloved hand to her chin in consideration. speaking now with the pacing of one who is thinking out loud, I haven't seen any of the _other_ Jounin today either. Usually, I catch a glimpse of Asuma-Sensei as he heads over to pick up Ino from her family's flower shop...

Uzumaki Naruto's normally happy and energetic features change over to a serious and thoughtful one as his teammate considers. I haven't seen any of the ANBU around either, you know? Since I live in a rat hole apartment in the low-rent district, and I was late to the training, I didn't really think about it. That's bad, isn't it, Sakura, when all the Jounin and the ANBU are all missing, right? Sakura, still watching the the bridge's gate, nods absently.

as Sakura continues further, Hokage-sama had me researching Chakra Disorders of all kinds this morning. "**Dammit, those scrolls were heavy.** With a slightly disbelieving tone, she also adds She said it was to prepare for the next cell-manipulaiton jutsu she was going to teach me, but I don't know... She was all distracted, and even more snappy than usual. **She's usually on a short leash, but this morning, ****hoo-boy', watch out.**" Hokage-sama also looked as if she'd been working hard for a good day or two already. Naruto interjects, oblivious to the two-sided commentary on Tsunade's erratic behavior this morning. If she's looking that beat up over something, it's gotta be important. She's really vain, you know, right?

!POOM! Revealed once a short gout of smoke disperses from a released jutsu, Hatake Kakashi stands just past the gate, leaning with one foot on the training field itself, and the other yet on the bridge.__

Sumisen-na, for arriving late today; I had an important meeting with the Hokage this morning, and -

Out of sheer inertia of habit, Konoha's #1 Suprising Ninja hollers out , but Sakura again pounds a bundled up fist into the top of his skull before he could voice anything else.

This time, the blue-eyed prankster drops to the grassy field, and clutches his poor skull.

It-TAI! oohhh-hh... is all that is heard from him, as Sakura takes a single step towards the masked Jounin.

Sorry, Kakashi-Sensei. You were saying? The lone eye of the Copy Ninja takes this overly-familiar, and yet strange scene in warily.

_Hmmm. Normally, she'd be berating me for my tardiness right alongside Naruto., not defending me from accusations of being called a liar. She might already suspect. And I think she may have actually cracked Naruto over the head a little _too_ hard. If he wasn't blessed with such fast recovery abilities from being the Kyuubi's Vessel, she might have just put a teammate in the hospital over a minor case of irritation.__Maybe training under the Hokage was a good thing, but for her to learn the monstrous strength of Tsunade as well..._

The Technique Specialist shrugs absently, as if resigning himself.

Ah, no, it was nothing, Sakura. The originator of the terrifying Raikiri' jutsu allows his visible eye to curve closed, in that way those familiar with reading his body language would take to mean a smile, and gets to the point.

Actually, Sakura, Naruto, we have a very important mission. It's an A Rank --

At this point, the once-suffering spiky blonde practically leaps to Kakashi's side, seemingly fully recovered from the concussion Tsunade's youngest student had just inflicted on him. Small bonfires of enthusiasm flare from his eyes.

NANI! A Rank A' Mission! Yeah-Hoo! Tsunade-obaa-chan really came through this time, hey, right, right!

"**SHUT IT, Naruto-baka! He's getting to it! Shannaro! If I have to, I'll...**" For the third time in as many minutes, the green-eyed medic-nin-to-be winds up a fearfully-strong right fist. This time, the hyperactive ninja in black and orange catches a sideways glimpse of Sakura's windup.

Noting her proximity, the Chuunin spins behind his still-taller sensei, and peers around Kakashi's right side at his teammate, as a small child hiding behind an older brother might

"**That's Right! Hide behind Teacher, why don't cha?**" Inner Sakura taunts.

In a much more restrained voice, Naruto asks What is your problem, Sakura-chan? We haven't been on a Rank A Mission for a while, not since... but he does not finish. He apparently does not need to, as both teamates and their only teacher drop their heads, spirits dampened over the memory of the Mission to the Sand _Yes, that's right. Ever since _that_ time..._ echo in the three minds equally, but perhaps for different reasons.

Kakashi brings his gaze back up, looking directly at Haruno Sakura. Guys, this is a big mission. We have a mssion directly assigned to our team from Hokage-sama.

Naruto, recalling a bit of his old fire, pipes in at this point with So, so, who's the client! Is it Tazuna-san again? We haven't seen his family for a while. It'd be great to visit again... Oh! I know, it's gotta be another search-and-destroy against Hidden Sound, right, right? That'd be perfect!

The still-young genin clenches both fists together, and another grin settles on his face. This time, with darker emotions behind it, it almost seems as if the whisker-like birthmarks on hi s cheeks become _jagged_, for just a moment, lending him a feral aspect.

Then, Let me finish, Naruto! barks from the normally-lazy jounin, Team Leader to his Soldier. The tone is not to be denied, even by the three-time Academy graduate failure.

Naruto snaps back to his original position next to his teammate... and says nothing further.

"**Yeah! That's right! Let the guy speak, ya little spiky-haired poster-child for ADD!**". Inner Sakura waves a translucent fist at Outer Sakura's teammate to encourage the said poster-child's' good behavior.

Kakashi then lets go a weary sigh, and continues. As I was saying, we have a hard mission for us, especially undermanned as we are. I can't get into the full details out here in the open, but for now, prepare for a indeterminately long field mission, geared for hard, fast travel. Gather equipment for all-weather survival, excepting winter wear.

With this, the two remaining members of Team 7 just stare, a little blankly now.

Sakura, be sure to gather those scrolls you were collecting this morning. Then, the Yondaime's best student looks up and away from his team, deciding something further. In fact, Sakura, devote the majority of your traveling weight to your research materials, and anything else you might need for your Medic-nin duties. Naruto and I will carry your share of the normal supplies you'll be needing.

The kunoichi once known for her abnormally large' forehead looks completely perplexed by the change in supply and ordinance packing rules. It was ground into all Konoha ninja that each was responsible for his or her own gear. Such a unusual change to the normal rules caused the Chuunin to raise a delicate eyebrow. Even Inner Sakura gazes a little questioningly at the implications.

Still, neither Inner nor Outer Sakura said anything, letting her Team Leader further explain. I'm sorry Naruto, but this means you'll have to carry more than your own weight. I'll be sharing the extra burden, so it shouldn't be all that bad.

Waiting for the inevitable explosion over having to make up' for someone else's shortcomings, or for him rub his teamates' nose in it, Kakashi is pleasantly suprised instead.

Naruto confidently agrees. Sure. I've been working on my physical strength anyway over the last few years, so I don't have to depend so much on Chakra-boosting. I may not be in the Fuzzy-Brows' weight-class yet without using _it_ - with only the slightest of emphasis on the last word, - but I can definitely carry Sakura's share, along with my own. Besides, it'd be kinda like my own personal weight-training. Don't worry, it won't slow me down either. A lopsided grin lifts the left side of his normally-sunny smile.

Kakashi again smiles under his ever obscuring face mask. Right. Good, Naruto. Anyway, we have only today to gather the needed supplies. Both of you make your goodbyes, and if you need to buy any extra gear - route all payments to me, and have the items packaged up and delivered at the North Gate by 7 am tomorrow!

Looking a bit pointedly at the lone bachelor of the team, Kakashi issues a bit of wisdom: This would be a good chance to update any older hardware you are hanging onto for budget reasons.

At this, the subject of Sharingan Kakashi''s stare allows a quick self-embarrased chuckle, while looking appropriately chagrined. Naruto still has some of the same kunai and Shuriken he'd gotten as part of his standard-issue Academy graduation package; he'd never been able to afford any real upgrades - every time he came into money, something major forced him to blow almost his enire savings, or the Frog-Hermit blew it on sake and women - particularly during his training period. Even now, he had barely more than he did just before the original Chuunin Exam in which he had defeated Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Neji, and (unofficially) Gaara of the Desert.

Gotcha, Kaka-Sensei! The now-again genki ninja pauses, and ponders the unusual idea that he can get new ninja gear. Hm. Maybe I should visit the Armory', after all... maybe there's some new weapons I haven't seen yet. Or, maybe... naah.

(Author's Note: The Armory' is the one store in Konoha that caters to Ninja - in fact, it's client-list is exclusively Ninja. Run by TenTen's family, they can sell only to Ninja , and then only to those who are in good standing with their home Village. Konoha doesn't allow the powerful weapons Ninja use as a matter-of-course to proliferate on their home turf, among the civilians...)

Sakura merely looks on, with a slight smile at her teammates luck; Inner Sakura, however, is rubbing her hands in in a greedy fashion. Of course, Sakura's skill in bookkeeping allowed her to save and scrimp, and afford better equipment as she became proficient enough to use them. She would only need to see to minor refitting of some of her survival gear, rather than make wholesale updates to her equipment stores - but that didn't mean she did not have a few items that she'd always wanted before and could not possibly afford...

Right. Anyway, team, that's tomorrow at 7 am sharp, no exceptions... and even as both his subordinates start in on the perenially-late jounin, he holds up both palms to fend off the Genin and Chuunin, and quickly adds ...even for me. Make your goodbyes, but you are under strict orders to not share any mission details with ANYone. Not parents, friends, or on-duty fellow ninja. All you can say is that you are on a need-to-know rated mission, and believe me, NO ONE else needs to know. Unless you hear differently from either myself or Hokage-sama. As of this moment, no other person has the needed clearance. Got It? Surveying the again-solemn faces of his still-diminished team, his masked features nod in satisfaction. Well, see you tomorrow, Ja ! and with a quick toss of his hand, the only wielder of the Sharingan not born of Uchiha blood disappears as a nother gout of smoke explodes, obscuring his form.

!POOM!

The smoke clears, and the pair of teen ninja are left to their own devices.

Well, Sakura-chan, I'm gonna go hit the Armory first; wanna come? I could use your sharp eye on the bargains... The blue-eyed shinobi is already running in place, waiting for Sakura's response.

No, not right now, Naruto. I've got a lot of packing to do. Even with your help, I'm going to have to pick over my medical scrolls carefully to get the most out of my traveling weight limits; those scrolls can be pretty heavy. At that, Naruto lets his already-churning feet gain purchase, and speeds down the bridge - towards the path leading back into Konoha proper.

Okay, Sakura-chan; I'll catch you tomorrow. Let's see if_ he_ can actually make it on time, for once, right? Without waiting for her response to the jab at their jounin-sensei, he tosses a wave goodbye over his shoulder, quickly disappearing down the trail.

Sakura is left with her own thoughts. _If this is dealing with the Chakra Disorders Hokage-sama had me research this morning, this could be really bad. Especially since I've got dispensation for an apparently unlimited upgrade budget for a long-term mission, and I'm only going to have to worry about my research materials... what kind of situation are we in for? _ However, Inner Sakura doesn't seem as fazed. "**Chance! Now I can show them just how much I've improved as a medic-nin! And I can finally get my hands on some of _those_** , **too! Aw-RIGHT!**"

Once both Sakura's have had their say, Sakura walks across the bridge herself, both excited by the prospect of a new, challenging mission - and unsettled by the same.  
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_Author's Notes: Chapter Five! And we showcase several of the other characters in this. We see how busy Konoha has been getting recently, and Hinata gets to lead a field team! Interesting, yes? The way I see her character, she's likely had a small number of Team-Leader missions, but _not_ outside of Konoha. - things like specialty training missions, or the kind of do-nothing' missions we see Team 7 perform early in the series. This will likely be a challenge for the shyest of the Hyuuga.

Now, for responses to my reviews, in no particular order:

**Riye** **Link** **Reue**: Interesting handle. Were did you get it? By the way, thanks for such a positive response! I hope i can continue to impress! I agree in the Rock-ness that is Lee, but many other writers only go on looks' and end up limiting him to humor support' roles, due to his (and Gaii's) overly - emotional responses. But, as I see it, that's kinda part of their schtick'. As passionate warriors, they aren't affraid to show strong emotion. That means that they can put their full heart into anything, 120. If it is embarrasing' to publically show such affection, and they can do it so easily, how hard will it be to put that same level of commitment into battle? I'm glad you like my story so far. It looks to be a long one; I had thought that it'd be only ten chapters, but I've only covered part of the first day... whew! So, it's a disease, eh? raises an eyebrow All we've found out, was that it was a condition... not specifically a disease. (insert Evil Mastermind Cackle #7"tm") Though it might be. Even Tsunade-hime herself, who practically invented the Medic-nin concept, is not sure. All they are of a this time, is that a rookie Jounin from the Akimichi clan was affected by something that, eventually, completely disrupted his Chakra control. Whatever the condition' is/was, it even threw the Jounin's natural ability to regulate chakra for bodily process into chaos, and ended up killing him. In fact, if you look to how Tsunade closed up' her presentation before as personal friend of the deceased spoke up, she states that she thinks it was _not_ an accident, but a deliberate effect - which means someone inflicted it on the stout ninja. Now, I have decided what is causing this, and how the condition' begins. I've sort of hinted at some connections already, but I deliberately made it a bit... ?vague? in order to muddy the waters. Almost all the stories' characters are correct in some fashion or another - but no one is exactly right yet, either. Good idea, however! You are closer than most of the characters in the story, so far! As for how it will effect Lee... re-read that part in chapter three, where Tsunade replies to Akimichi Saito's friend from the Kurofuji clan, for a hint.

**Magus** **Black**: Heh, right on! That's why I compared Lee to Batman in my first Author's Notes - in comparison, he has to depend on sheer skill, guts and determination. Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, Neji, and the other powerhouses' have incredible might packed into their almost-unique jutsus. All (poor?) Lee has is his feet and fists - weapons that all ninja are at least moderately proficient in. He has to keep his edge high at all times, or he'll find that he's been left behind. So you think of the overall plot idea, is... ?Feasible? Best way I can put it - that this story arc could likely happen according to strict viewing of the core story line?

(. . .): Ok, anonymous reviewer, I get what you were getting at about the overuse of bolding and underlining. As you can see, I only used much of the bold and/or underline effects during the intro' chapter. Much less of it in later chapters. But, really, did you have to be so vitriolic in your wording? We're all just here to enjoy a way of adding, in some small way, to fandoms that we find impressive. No need to respond in such a uncouth manner of tone. But, I do appreciate the note on what probably created an overbearing feel to the story. Thank you, and I hope you keep reading.

And to all of the other readers - thanks! I understand that you have limited amounts of time to check your favorite stores - or that perhaps my style of writing may be different from what you've seen elsewhere, so you may be unsure of how I would take negative commentary. Hopefully I've shown that I expect to be receiving odd responses, and that I can good with the bad.

If anyone has constructive criticisms, please, let me know. Even if it is just cut down on the bold or italics, More Team 7, or Hey, what about Shino? We need the Kekkai Master to show them how its done!. Also, what did everyone think of the presentation of the remainder of Team 7? Appropriate, or not really?

I would like suggestions for Kakashi; he felt' a little off, somehow, in this chapter. Others may not think so, however.

On the other hand, I feel pretty confident in my presentation of Sakura/Inner Sakura. I know many/most other writers seem to have the two sides' of Sakura interact with one another, as if she had a full-split personality - that Inner Sakura can and does speak directly to Outer Sakura (often to hilarious effect). However, I've yet to see canon' confirmation that either side is cognizant of the other as separate psyches. In fact, it really just seems that Inner Sakura is just a overly-vociferous sense of self. That may change, due to some later factors planned out.

What about the other characterizations? I was still hoping to not make Hinata _too_ shy (better than she was before the Chuunin Exam), but still wished to show that she is not completely sure of herself yet, and can relapse' into her old ways. Lemme know how that's turning out, folks!

Any suggestions for who people want to see' next? I'm planning on moving the story outside of Konoha by the end of chapter six- or possibly chapter seven - but we will see. I can stretch' certain places in the stories' progression to add other character's views and commentary, if there is a n interest.

Well, hope to hear from you all again soon.


	6. Serious Seminar, before the Mission

Early Spring, Konoha Village, Hokage's Offices, 12:30 pm

Wondering where Rock Lee was to be taking his briefing, and curious what mission the Gouken-stylist would be undertaking in this dire time, we look through each of the many briefing rooms. Starting with the Hokage's private offices, and search digiligently... to no avail. In fact, we don't see sign of the Hokage, or of Team Gai's other members. If Rock Lee had a very important mission, surely he wouild be assigned as part of his team? That _was_ what the Godaime Hokage had indicated earlier in the da.y. We had hoped that we could follow Neji, TenTen, or Gai-Sensei to the meeting, and therefore take stock of the situation as it unfolds. 

We pass the Mission Assignment Room, and the Hokage's private office.

With some regret, after an hour of searching, we almost give up on our search for the Hot-Blooded' Chuunin. Then, it occurs to us: What if they are in the Black Room? That is the only place we would not really want to go, as all those seals give even us pause (not to mention the heebie-jeebies). Rock Lee's reaction to the location did indicate suprise...

With a grimace and a sigh, we decide that would be the most likely location. So, we shortly find ourselves passing down the same hallway that Maito Gai and Hatake Kakashi had just barrelled down just a few short hours ago.

Our last brainstorm proves correct, as we come upon the entirety of Team Gai, and the second Hokage to be blonde, discussing matters just outside the entrance to The Black Room. Good. It looks like we made it just in time.

So, do you all understand the reasons why you have to take this mission with the strictest of secrecy? the lone Sannin of Slugs ask the Team.

A dissapointed exhalation leave us. It seems that they have already finished discussions, and are now just about to go about their assigned mission.

Jounin-Sensei Maito Gai answers not with the sheer bravado and nearly humourous antics he is known for far and wide. Instead, he simply nods, voicing a inarticulate grunt of acknowledgment. His rough hands are bundled in grim fists at his sides, instead of flamboyantly assisting his affirmation, as they might otherwise.

Chuunin Rock Lee, the favored student standing of Jounin Gai, standing at his side, is discovered with a somber expression, instead of the normally-blazing enthusiasm that has carried the Chuunin so much farther than anyone else of ohis generation would have expected. We almost hadn't recognized him, as his manner is so different from how we had seen him just a short while ago (even if he is still a near-copy of his sensei...).

He looks almost... smaller for that lack. His mouth is a tight line drawn across his face, and his unusually-round eyes are looking down, instead of meeting anyone else's gaze.

Chuunin TenTen is in full serious mode, with her brown eyes matching the look in her once-proclaimed-idol own eyes, as she nods her own acceptance of the seriousness of the mission. She is dressed in that new fighting outfit that she had designed herself just recently, and already has her weapon scross secured across the small of her back. She also seems to be carrying a hip pack already bulging with items. 

No doubt, she has already sequestered several more weapons about her person, already prepared to leave once the briefing had completed.

Jounin Hyuuga Neji stands across from the group, off to one side. Trying to read his blank expression, we can't tell if he is taking this mission as seriously as his team, but we can be sure that the young Jounin of the Hyuuga Clan would fully realize the implications that has the others' reactions so subdued. If any ninja would be radically affected by this condition' as reported by the Hokage, it would have to be a Hyuuga, with their advanced bloodline-based abilities. 

Neji's arms are crossed in front of him, as we might recognize of his usual behaviour, but the way his hands tucked into the large sleeves of his Jounin attire say something else about his apparent lack of concern.

We turn back to the singular person of the Hokage as she states her acceptance in a strong, yet flat tone. She crosses her own arms in front of her, taking a stance that shifts her weight onto her left leg before continuing. We have already sent the other teams their missions, and they also will be starting their missions early tommorow. Finally letting her features soften, she allows them some kind words, gesturing kindly with lift right hand. Take the rest of the day off from your regular duties. Rest. Go see your friends; it may be a while before you seem them again.Thank you for your generosity,Hokage-sama, but we will need the time to prepare, as well as gather some supplies. After politely turnin down the kind offer, Jounin-sensei Maito Gai turns towards the far end of the small hallway, and starts striding towards the stairwell that will lead up to the main foyer of the Hokage's Offices compound.

Lee, TenTen, Neji. The broad shouldered Jounin-Sensei gestures with his right hand to indicate each in turn, in military fashion. Come on, we should be on our way.

At the prompting, the young protectors of Konaha turn as a group, and follow their Team Leader. Even wrapped up in their own thoughts, they file in perfect lockstep behind their Jounin-sensei almost without consideration or thought; long years of training from tender years lend unthinking coordination to their movements.

If they only knew what they were in store for, they might have taken up Tsunade's offer, instead of rushing so hurridly to commit to the Hokage's mission... Ah , well.

Early Spring, Konoha Village, the skies of Konoha, 3:30 pm

After letting a resigned sigh express our feelings, we leave that dreadful hallway as quickly as possible.

Taking to the empty skies above Konoha, we let our gaze take in the grand sight of hundreds of llives going about their daily routines as we wheel as a hawk might.

Mothers and fathers taking thier chilldren on shopping excursions, picking up needed things, or buying that new toy that had just come to the local mecantile exchanges from abroad.

Simple young men and women enjoying a clear spring day together. 

Small squads of Academy student ninja-to-be taking laps, studying in the fields, or practiciing shuriken throwing, all the while thier graduated seniors watch over them. The Chuunin instructors, sometimes satisfied with thier progress, sometimes exasperated with a troublesome student's antics,are always carefully guiding their charges on the path to becoming Leaf Ninja.

We watch this for hours; such small lives struggling with normal concerns (for those living in a Hidden Vilage, anyway).

We even can see many Leaf Ninja in active duty wear now are discreetly patroliing various areas inside Konoha proper, as well as maintaining watch at its borders... 

Another might simply see these crack troops as going about their own daily business, or on their way to missions outside of Konoha. . .

. . . Excepting that, on any given street, we see those ninja are never out of line-of-sight of at least two other ninja.

. . . Excepting also, that, upon giving closer attention to detail, we find all three are also covering a differing arc of the street, road, or path that they are currently treading upon, and that at least one hand of each ninja is free at all times, and in perfect view of the one of the others on the causeway.

So, even now, Konoha has taken appropriate steps for suspicious outsiders. As expected of the once-most powerful of Hidden Villages, their immediate response is sharp, and professional.

It will be dissapointing to them to find that they are already too late.

Now, after a scant few hours, it seems that even the civilians of Konoha, having once been ninja themselves, or having lived with one for most of their lives, are picking up those patroller's unspoken anxieties.

Mothers gather their children closer to their sides, while they themselves match step with their husbands, instead of lagging behind, or strolling ahead as they might otherwise. When families stop at a small stand, or decide upon entering a store, Husbands position themselves between the family, and those who are still walking down the causeway.

Boyfriends place their shoulders alongside the shoulders with their girfriends, ostenibly to drape a spare arm over them, but allowing for a furtive, hopefully subtle glance to take stock of who was outside of a shop as the young pair enter, or who might still be there when they exit. A ninja can never be too careful; and even if they only stayed in the program' long enough to pick up some basic self-defense, Konoha's Academy stresses situational awarenes highly.

Girlfriends notice their boyfriends getting the doors for them more often, and while they find that sweet, and gracefully enter the proffered entrance or exit, once through, they use the moment given to carefully take stock of those whose fashions might be enough out of date to represent an outisider, or those faces that haven't been around for a while. A Kunoichi's eye for fashion, even for one who never graduated, can be a very particular thing.

They might not acknowledge that they are doing so, but subconciously they are taking closer care of themselves and those close to them. Nothing may have been annonced or discussed, or even hinted at, per the Hokage's commands, but the increased presence of Leaf Ninja on the everyday walkways of Konoha gives them a hint that something has changed for the worse.

We smirk with closed lips. Something will change, and who can say if it will be for the better, or the poorer?

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Sweatdrops Wow, where did September go?

Okay, it's shorter that ususual, but I decided to get this posted up so as to not delay further; it also felt like a good place to cut it off', even with it being a bit short. Sorry about the lateness, and I will try harder for next chapter.

Riye Link Reue - Very insteresting questions/statements on how this condition will effect the various namesake characters in the series. You've definately hit upon some of the ideas I wanted to engender in this story - how can Ninjas ninja' without any Ninja powers, or ones horridly out of control? (Dang, think I used that word a bit overmuch!) It might force a revolution in the world's balance of power.

(And, BTW - I don't mind multi-reviews for differing posistions/questions/statements at all, Heheh. )

Magus Black - I'm glad that I'm getting such postitive responses. Due to the normal content' of FFnet for Naruto, I wasn't all that sure my story, which focused more on the classic' elements of the Naruto storyline (action, drama, comedy), while not focusing on the namesake character himself, would be seen as worthwhile.

Andivar - Well, good point on Naruto - I had felt my characterization of him was a little too obvious' or generic. I'll have to put more work into showing his comparitive maturity next time. Thanks for the Read!


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